With the “Super-team” Philadelphia Eagles imploding in the first several weeks of the NFL season, we thought we’d take a look at some other teams throughout the world of sports who have famously – or perhaps infamously – disappointed their fans. Some of these teams had transcendent regular seasons ]]>

With the “Super-team” Philadelphia Eagles imploding in the first several weeks of the NFL season, we thought we’d take a look at some other teams throughout the world of sports who have famously – or perhaps infamously – disappointed their fans. Some of these teams had transcendent regular seasons only to flame out spectacularly in the playoffs, while others simply crapped the bed from day one. Whatever their differences, what the following 11 teams have in common is that they will all be remembered as colossal disappointments.

11 2003-04 Los Angeles Lakers
After failing to win the NBA title for the first time since 1999, during the 2003-04 season the Lakers decided to just overwhelm everyone, adding Hall of Fame locks Karl Malone and Gary Payton to a team that already included Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant. Right away everyone declared the Lakers the 2004 champs, but then a funny thing happened in The Finals. The Lakers ran into a Detroit Pistons team devoid of Hall of Famers, a team in the truest sense of the word and five games later the Lakers were sitting in their locker-room in Detroit wondering what in the hell just happened while the Pistons players and fans celebrated outside. It was really the end of an era for the Lakers, the last gasp for the Shaq/Kobe era which soon fell apart amid acrimony and Kobe running wild like Mike Tyson or Patrick Bateman in Denver hotel rooms. The Lakers would be back – eventually – but the 2003-04 Lakers remain an example for everyone to see of what can happen when a team gets lazy and tries to substitute team building for coasting on the reputations of a few big stars. But, hey, it did help inspire Shaq’s award winning diss track “Tell Me How My Ass Tastes,” so I guess it wasn’t a total disappointment.

10 2000 Alabama Football
Coming off of an Orange Bowl appearance following a 1999 season that saw Alabama win 10 games, the future looked bright for the program under head coach Mike DuBose. Indeed, people were so convinced that DuBose had brought Alabama back from the malaise of probation and mediocrity which hampered the program throughout much of the mid-late ‘90s that AP poll voters ranked the Crimson Tide third in their preseason poll. Five months later, Alabama was sitting at home with a 3-8 record watching everyone else play in bowl games and DuBose was packing his office up, trying to get the hell out of town before irate Alabama fans lynched him and then offered his body up as a sacrifice to a statue of Bear Bryant. Alabama would eventually be resurrected by Nick Saban but the 2000 Alabama football team was a low point from which ‘Bama took over half a decade to fully recover. From third in the nation to radioactive disaster zone – I think that’s enough to qualify the 2000 Alabama football team as one of the most disappointing sports teams of all time.

9 1995-96 Detroit Red Wings
The 1995-96 Detroit Red Wings finished the season with a league record 131 points and were stocked with Hall of Famers, so why are they on this list? Well, when you have a season for the ages like that you kinda sorta at least expect to make it to the Stanley Cup Finals, but the Wings couldn’t even manage that, getting embarrassed by the Colorado Avalanche in the Conference Finals. To add injury to insult, poor Kris Draper also had his face mangled by a vicious cheap-shot from Colorado’s Claude Lemieux. On the bright side, that hit and the subsequent embarrassment the Wings had to deal with touched off a holy war between the two teams which ignited the Wings, forcing them to get grittier, and pushing them to become the team that eventually won back to back Stanley Cups. Still, it’s impossible not to call a team a huge disappointment when the things that people remember aren’t those 131 points or the graceful, transcendent skill with which the team played but the humiliating playoff loss and the site of Kris Draper in the locker room after the game looking like Eric Stoltz’s character from Mask. And that’s why they’re on this list.

8 1994-95 Duke Basketball
Coming off of yet another Final Four appearance the year before, Duke seemed like a team that no one would ever slow down. For over a decade they had remained among the elite squads in the country, never winning less than 24 games or losing more than 9 games in any season during that stretch. And with players like Cherokee Parks and Trajan Langdon ready to go, it was reasonable to expect Duke’s run of outrageously good fortune to continue. Yeah… about that. Duke managed to start the season 9-3 but then head coach Mike Krzyzewski announced that he was taking a leave of absence to deal with health issues. Sure, that was bound to affect the team but no one could have predicted just how far Duke would fall into chaos without their little Napoleon of a head coach hanging around. Under assistant Pete Gaudet, Duke fell completely apart, going a shocking 4-15 without Coach K on the bench. For the season, Duke finished with an almost unbelievable 13-18 record, horrifying their die-hard fans and delighting the rest of the college basketball loving – and Duke hating – world. Coach K would be back and so would Duke, but that 13-18 season stands as one of the most disappointing – and shocking – seasons of all time.

7 2008 Detroit Tigers
The 2008 Detroit Tigers were only two years removed from a World Series appearance and had barely missed the playoffs in 2007, so fans were naturally excited when the Tigers solidified an already good team by pulling off a blockbuster trade that brought uber-slugger Miguel Cabrera and 20 game winning pitcher Dontrelle Willis into the fold. With a loaded lineup and a pitching staff filled with young fireballers, it wasn’t long before the hype train left the station. Articles began popping up comparing the 2008 Tigers’ lineup to that of the legendary ’27 Yankees and the Tigers were soon the damn near unanimous favorite to win the World Series. Then the season started and that hype drain quickly derailed and then caught on fire before being pissed on by a gang of hobos as the Tigers proceeded to go out and lose their first seven games of the season. Look, I was there. I’m a big fan of the Tigers and within a week or two I was close to hyperventilating into a paper bag. By the time the season mercifully drew to a close, the Tigers “super-team” finished with a 74-88 record, good for dead last in the American League Central Division and every Tigers fan alive learned a valuable lesson that we all should have already known had we just listened to Public Enemy – Don’t believe the hype.

6 2010-11 Miami Heat
The 2010-11 Miami Heat might be the most famous disappointing team on this list. That’s because it happened so recently and because of the ridiculous amount of hyperbole surrounding the team before they even stepped onto the court. From the moment that LeBron James and Chris Bosh decided to join Dwyane Wade in Miami, two things happened: everyone crowned the Heat NBA champs and everyone began to root against them. Hated by everyone, the Heat played it up, claiming that they wouldn’t be satisfied with a single championship. They wanted multiple championships, 5 or 6 or 7. But basketball is perhaps the ultimate team game and as soon as the season started everyone realized that this “team” was really two superstars, one borderline All-Star and a bunch of guys who would struggle in a local YMCA league. Still, James and Wade managed to pull the Heat all the way to the NBA Finals before LeBron sadly – or hilariously depending on your viewpoint – shit the bed and the Heat lost to the Dallas Mavericks. It’s the degree of hype and the ridiculous egotism of James and this team that puts them on this list more than their actual lack of accomplishments. After all, they had a pretty decent season. But pretty decent doesn’t cut it when your stars are gibbering about winning 7 titles, you know? And that’s why the 2010-11 Miami Heat are on this list.

5 2007 Michigan Football
As a Michigan fan, this one kills me, but hey, I can’t just pretend that they don’t belong here. After all, I am a professional. (Shut up…) Still, the memory of what went down during the 2007 season continues to haunt not just me but every Michigan fan, player and coach alive. That’s because following a 2006 season which saw Michigan barely miss out on the National Championship Game they came back loaded for 2007, led by the school’s all-time leading rusher, Mike Hart, all-time leading passer, Chad Henne, stud wide receiver Mario Manningham, and future number one overall NFL draft pick, left tackle Jake Long. And then Appalachian State came to town and the whole world burned. In perhaps the most shocking upset in college football history, Michigan was stunned by Appalachian State, which caused the rest of the world to laugh and cheer while we all cried and hid beneath our beds. One week later, Michigan was firebombed straight to hell by the Oregon Ducks and, really, things have never been even remotely the same for Michigan since. The only reason they’re not higher on this list is because those talented seniors managed to pull it together for one last desperate run, going out on a relative high note with a win over Florida in the Capital One Bowl, but then they left and darkness descended, and it all started with that 2007 team.

4 2003 Oakland Raiders
Only a season after a Super Bowl appearance, led by the reigning NFL MVP, Rich Gannon, the Oakland Raiders went out in 2003 ready to conquer the world. By the time the season was over, the Raiders had finished 4-12, head coach Bill Callahan was feuding with half his team, Gannon was hurt and the Raiders would never be the “Raiders” and all that meant again for as long as Al Davis lived. As disappointments go, that’s pretty profound, wouldn’t you say?

3 1981 Notre Dame Football
Following a season in which Notre Dame lost in the Sugar Bowl, they retooled, hiring high school head coaching legend Gerry Faust to lead the Irish into a new age of glory and prosperity. With Faust’s energy and optimism leading the way, Notre Dame was abuzz with expectation. They were ranked third to start the season and after beating LSU in week one, the Irish found themselves ranked number one in the country. And then they lost 25-7 to Michigan and that was the end of the Gerry Faust era. Sure, he would stick around for a few more years but Notre Dame never won more than 7 games under Faust. In that first, hype filled 1981 season, Notre Dame finished with a shocking 5-6 final record, their first losing season since 1960. And really, aside from an oasis during the time that Lou Holtz was the head man, it was the beginning of a long desert of despair for the Notre Dame faithful. Since that first shocking season under Faust, Notre Dame has suffered through 6 separate losing seasons. In retrospect not only was that 1981 season a disappointment for Notre Dame, it was a program changing disaster, and that’s why it’s so high on this list.

2 2002 French National Soccer Team
After triumphantly winning the World Cup in 1998 – which was held in France that year – the French National Soccer Team seemed poised to take over the world. Ranked number one in the world, the French team went into the 2002 World Cup led by superstar Zinedine Zidane and proceeded to be immediately shocked 1-0 by an upstart Senegal squad. Two games later, and France still hadn’t scored a goal, had lost two more times and were waiting to fly home, slackjawed and stunned by their early ouster. The sheer magnitude of France’s failure in 2002 is what gets them such a high spot on this list. After all, they were the defending World Cup champs, the recognized best team in the world, and they not only lost, they failed to score a single goal before getting eliminated. I mean, there are sports disasters and then there is whatever the hell this was. Congrats, France. And yes, I’m proud of myself for not making a joke about France collapsing like they were having flashbacks to World War II. Oops, I guess I just did. I’d like to apologize in advance for causing an international incident, but let’s face it, some fruit just hangs too low to be ignored.

1 1988 United States Men’s Basketball Team
The 1988 United States Men’s Basketball Team is number one on this list not only because they were a disappointment but because their disappointment completely changed the sport of basketball throughout the world. That’s a pretty powerful statement, but it’s true. In 1988, the United States, accustomed to kicking ass every four years in the Olympics, sent a team led by college stars like David Robinson and Mitch Richmond to South Korea to claim yet another gold medal in basketball. When it was over, the U.S. Team was indeed standing on the podium, but it was to accept their bronze medals, not gold. It was an unprecedented failure for the country which created the sport and it led the United States basketball honchos to push FIBA to allow NBA players to play for the U.S. for the first time. The result was the 1992 Dream Team which annihilated the rest of the world en route to a gold medal and completely changed the way we approach the Olympics as a country. Prior to that performance, the U.S. always treated the Olympics as the purest form of sport, a showcase for our country’s best amateurs. After that, we decided to hell with it and sent our professionals to make sure everyone else knew their place. In addition, the 1988 team’s failure and subsequent Dream Team domination led to an acceleration in the development of overseas basketball, which in turn led to more and more foreign born players in the NBA, which eventually led to Dirk Nowitzki celebrating while LeBron James hung his head in failure. Of course, it’s ridiculous to say that the 1988 team’s failure directly led to all of that, but it was the acorn from which everything else eventually grew, either directly or indirectly, and so it’s hard to say that there is any more significant disappointment in sports history than that of the 1988 United States Men’s Basketball Team, and that’s why they’re number one on this list.

In our continued quest to bring you cops who operate outside the law comes this story of Niners wide receiver Michael Crabtree who allegedly missed a flight because of an overzealous Raiders fan policeman.

Apparently, Crabtree got pulled over on his way to the airport and was kept ]]>

In our continued quest to bring you cops who operate outside the law comes this story of Niners wide receiver Michael Crabtree who allegedly missed a flight because of an overzealous Raiders fan policeman.

Apparently, Crabtree got pulled over on his way to the airport and was kept for 30 minutes, during which time he Tweeted this to his followers.

I don’t know about you but I’m completely stunned a devout Raiders fan would act in a such a boorish way.

Signed,

VIDEO: Raiders-49ers game marred by violence
VIDEO: Chubby woman in bikini top gets arrested during Raiders game
VIDEO: Yet another fan fight at Oakland Raiders game

On a somewhat related note, Jim Harbaugh was seen rushing to the defense of the Crabree lifting his shirt, pounding his chest and giving a stern handshake to the offending cop.

Michael Crabtree Pulled Over by Raiders Fan Cop Who Made Him Miss Flight [Larry Brown Sports]

Guyism’s daily look at what’s hot in the world of sports.

130

Although the NCAA is supposed to announce their findings for the UM athletic program today, sources have leaked that, all in all, it’s good news for the Maize and Blue. The fifth charge ]]>

Guyism’s daily look at what’s hot in the world of sports.

130

Although the NCAA is supposed to announce their findings for the UM athletic program today, sources have leaked that, all in all, it’s good news for the Maize and Blue. The fifth charge of failing to promote an atmosphere of compliance will be dropped and the NCAA will add another year to the two-year probation that Michigan self-imposed. Combine that with the 130 hours of training time missed and it appears the Wolverines caught a big break. Then again, this was probably much ado about nothing to begin with.

26

76ers coach Doug Collins wasn’t feeling like himself on Wednesday night after having symptoms of Vertigo. So after his team took a 26-point halftime lead into the locker room against the Pacers, Collins called it a night and let former Pistons coach Michael Curry take over. Thankfully for the 76ers, even a coach as poor as Curry couldn’t blow that big of a lead.

42

You really have to enjoy the intricacies of NBA scheduling. The Orlando Magic hadn’t played a game since getting trounced by the Heat four days ago and in strolled one of the bigger cupcakes on their schedule, the Minnesota Timberwolves, who had just lost the night before by 32 points. To make matters worse for the T-Wolves, Jonny Flynn and Michael Beasley, sat out because of injuries. The result? A 42-point blowout at home for the Magic.

0-7

When you’re the worst team in the NFL, you’re willing to do anything and in this case, everything to get going. The Buffalo Bills acquired troubled linebacker Shawne Merriman off waivers yesterday. He has five days to report to Buffalo and will more than likely not suit up for Sunday’s game against Chicago. Merriman desperately needs to prove himself because, well, in the off-season he’s a free agent. Given his performance, or lack thereof the last few seasons, he may have trouble finding work.

6-8

The Randy Moss pickup by the Titans is starting to make a little more sense. Rumors from Titan insider indicate that WR Kenny Britt could be out 6-8 weeks with a hamstring injury. This comes 1 week after Britt put up a career high 225 yards and three touchdowns. So now, all the Titans have to do is convince a somewhat uninspired Moss to actually try during games and they’re all set.

92

The Oakland Raiders have lit the NFL on fire the last two weeks scoring 92 points. The man partly responsible for that, Jason Campbell, may get benched though in favor of Bruce Gradkowski. To give you an idea of how good Campbell has been, his passer ratings the last two games were 127.9 and 120.9 respectively. Benching Cambell seems asinine at this point. Then again, asinine and Al Davis go together like…well, you get the picture.

Guyism’s daily look at what’s hot in the world of sports.

73

After Eastern Michigan gave up 73 points to OSU over the weekend which included a trick play throwback to quarterback Terrelle Pryor after being up more than 40 points, coach Ron English had ]]>

Guyism’s daily look at what’s hot in the world of sports.

73

After Eastern Michigan gave up 73 points to OSU over the weekend which included a trick play throwback to quarterback Terrelle Pryor after being up more than 40 points, coach Ron English had this to say.
“Every dog has his day. I’ve had my days. I’m taking mine right now. I’m sure there’ll be a day when I’m giving mine again, whether it be here or somewhere else. But I promise you, I’ll be back giving my butt-whuppins out, too. It goes around.

.902

When Sebastian Janikowski stepped up to a kick a 32-yard field goal for the win Sunday, everyone thought it was in the bag. Raiders Coach Tom Cable even raised his arms triumphantly as the kick went up. Instead, Janikowski for only the 8th time in his career missed from the 30-yard distance (.902). A quick reminder as well, he’s the highest paid kicker in the history of the league. Would love to hear the conversation between Janikowski and Raiders owner Al Davis this morning.

12

You want concrete proof that preseason polls are beyond useless? Texas got stomped at home and only managed 12 points in a loss to a bad UCLA team who were 1-2 on the season. Texas, who was ranked #7 going into the game dropped to #16 in the coaches poll and #21 on the AP. Prior success and history somehow kept them amongst the top 25. But anybody who watched the game would probably beg to differ.

.057

That paltry number represents the Detroit Lions winning percentage dating back to the 2008 season. Their record? An astounding 2-35. Many in the organization had high hopes coming into the season and several thought a .500 record was indeed possible. But in a matter of a few hours in the opener, things quickly took a detour. Star quarterback Matthew Stafford hurt his shoulder and a win over Chicago was erased by a stupidly worded rule. To make matters worse, 1st round pick Jahvid Best is now out with “sprained toe ligaments”.

11.35

Jim Furyk hit arguably the most expensive shot in golf history Sunday. Needing to save par to avoid a playoff with Luke Donald, Furyk popped a shot perfectly out of a greenside bunker to within feet of the hole. Not only did he win the Tour Championship worth 1.35 million dollars because of it but he was also the winner of the Fed Ex Cup points title. By the way, that prize, an incredible 10 million dollars. How’d you like to stand over a ball and have that much on the line? And yes MJ, that question obviously does not apply to you.

111.7

The surprising team of the NFL season thus far? The Kansas City Chiefs, who rolled to a 3-0 record after dismantling the San Francisco 49ers yesterday. One-time backup Matt Cassell was nothing short of brilliant racking up 250 yards, 3tds, and a 111.7 rating.

4,000

Betty and Jonathan Hutchinson are certainly agile for their age. The 90, 88-year old couple respectively traveled over 4000 miles to watch the U.S. women battle in the Czech Republic for the World Championship. The Hutchinson’s, who are die hard UCONN supporters were excited to watch alums Diana Taurasi and Sue Bird perform. Now, if only the WNBA could get this kind of support.

Former Raiders quarterback JaMarcus Russell was arrested in a narcotics undercover operation for possession of codeine syrup. For those of you unaware of hip urban lingo, it’s also known as “purple drank” and “sizzurp”.

Myles said Russell was arrested at his home early this afternoon during an undercover investigation. ]]>

Former Raiders quarterback JaMarcus Russell was arrested in a narcotics undercover operation for possession of codeine syrup. For those of you unaware of hip urban lingo, it’s also known as “purple drank” and “sizzurp”.

Myles said Russell was arrested at his home early this afternoon during an undercover investigation. Police did not find a prescription for the codeine during their search, Myles said.

No wonder JaMarcus didn’t have time to keep himself in shape. Dude was a homemade chemist. How could he possibly learn an entire playbook when he’s busy mixing beakers and graduated cylinders of codeine and soda?

In fact, let’s all just admit Mr. Russell missed his calling in life. Instead of overweight, overhyped quarterback, the man should have been a mad scientist.

Oh yea, and the purple stuff? Nah, I prefer juicy Sunny Delight.

JaMarcus Russell arrested for possession of controlled substance {AL.com}

In a move that’s been, oh, five years coming (and particularly obvious given the uncapped year and trade for former Redskins starter Jason Campbell), former #1 overall pick JaMarcus Russell was released from the Raiders late Thursday. Raiders senior executive John Herrera told an Associated Press reporter ]]>

In a move that’s been, oh, five years coming (and particularly obvious given the uncapped year and trade for former Redskins starter Jason Campbell), former #1 overall pick JaMarcus Russell was released from the Raiders late Thursday.

Raiders senior executive John Herrera told an Associated Press reporter that the Raiders’ only official statement about the move was that they “wish him well,” which is about as enthusiastic of an endorsement for Russell’s future prospects as saying, “Here’s hoping Fatty lands on his feet, unlike the last several years here.”

The Raiders have paid Russell over $36 million over the past three years and will owe him another $3 million this season. Overall, however, the move will save the team $6.45 million this year.

Former league personnel worker Matt Bowen speculated on National Football Post that a team with strong leadership and a steady veteran presence at QB may want to take a flier on the gastropod Russell. It’s inescapable that some arrogant head coach who sees the cannon arm and ignores the ability to wolf down five KFC Double Downs and still want more will pick Russell up and try to save his career.

In all likelihood, Russell’s career isn’t coming back from this abyss. Hopefully all of the effort Russell didn’t put into becoming a good quarterback was instead directed into finding a good financial planner.

Former No. 1 pick Russell released [ESPN.com]
Would you sign Russell? [National Football Post]

You can call Al Davis crazy, but at the very least he’s original. He follows no protocol, has no game plan and seemingly makes decisions on the fly.

In the past it may have worked for him. He was the first owner to hire a Latino ]]>

You can call Al Davis crazy, but at the very least he’s original. He follows no protocol, has no game plan and seemingly makes decisions on the fly.

In the past it may have worked for him. He was the first owner to hire a Latino coach, the second person to hire a black coach, and the first to place a woman as president of a NFL club.

And now, he’s the first person to ever be stupid enough to give a kicker 4 million dollars a year.

The Oakland Raiders have awarded the largest kicking contract in league history to one of the league’s largest kickers.

Adam Schefter of ESPN reports that Sebastian Janikowski will sign a four-year, $16 million contract, including $9 million in guaranteed money.

Maybe Davis knows something the rest of us don’t. After watching the playoffs this past year, kickers certainly didn’t perform up to the standards they had in the past. Shayne Graham, Jay Feely, and Nate Kaeding just to name a few.

Certainly the pressure of the playoffs was a crucial factor in those kickers performances, so that’s not something Janikowski needs to worry about. Having missed the playoffs every year since 2002 and only averaging about 4 wins a year, Janikowski’s field goals aren’t exactly kicked in heart pumping post-season action.

But hey, if Al says he’s worth 4 million a year, who are the rest of us to argue? After all, he is a Hall of Famer.

Raiders reel in Seabass {PFT}

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I’ll admit that most weeks I usually watch about two NFL games at a time. One on my tv and one on my computer.

But when fantasy football playoffs roll around, its a whole different ballgame. Every single guy out there that was lucky enough to ]]>

I’ll admit that most weeks I usually watch about two NFL games at a time. One on my tv and one on my computer.

But when fantasy football playoffs roll around, its a whole different ballgame. Every single guy out there that was lucky enough to make the playoffs is either glued to their blackberry checking scores or constantly hitting refresh on their league page.

Sure, its annoying as hell to the wives and girlfriends out there, but most of us are playing fantasy football for that very reason anyways.

And while there’s nothing funny about losing in the playoffs because Rashard Mendenhall’s TD got called back on a phony pass interference call (yes, that happened to me), there is something hilarious about a guy losing his pants on live TV.

Tom Cable will either be in jail or unemployed real soon.  And while punching people at work probably isn’t the smartest thing to do, a part of me feels like he’s not all to blame.  So here are some others Tom Cable should probably punch on his way out the ]]>

Tom Cable will either be in jail or unemployed real soon.  And while punching people at work probably isn’t the smartest thing to do, a part of me feels like he’s not all to blame.  So here are some others Tom Cable should probably punch on his way out the door…

10. Jamarcus Russell-For being a fat slob who looks more like an offensive linemen than a NFL qb

9. The Black Hole-Because they haven’t plotted a successful assassination attempt on Al Davis

8. Lane Kiffin-For skippin town and not giving him fair warning

7. The entire chiefs organization-For giving a small glimmer of hope to Al Davis and allowing the Raiders to beat them

6. Eli Manning-Possibly the man who put the final nail in his coaching coffin

5. Roger Goodell-Continuing to somehow allow a man with dementia run a NFL franchise

4. John Madden-For his continued defense of Al Davis and in general, because he’s annoying

3. The Raiderettes-Actually, scratch this one….Apparently, they’re the only ones in the organization doing their job

2. John Marshall-He’s already punched one defensive guy on the staff…why is Marshall being spared?

1. Al Davis-Just put the man out of his misery already