(Editor’s note: I realize it says I’m the author, but this blog was written by sports editor Brian Josephs. He doesn’t have an account on our WordPress page.)
There were a lot of great moments and teams in sports over the past decade. The Redeem Team. The Giants 2008 upset of the previously undefeated Patriots. Dirk Nowitzki’s methodical run through the 2011 NBA playoffs.
Then there is everything in between those moments. Let’s recount those regrettable moments, shall we?
2000
Worst Team- Los Angeles Clippers
There are a few horrible teams this decade that you sort of feel sorry for (2005-06 New Orleans Saints for instance).
The Clippers are not one of those teams. They have long been referred to as “The Other Los Angeles Team” and the 1999-00 Clippers didn’t do much to make us say otherwise, finishing 15-67 in the season.
This team was the picture of pathetic. You had your obnoxious owner Donald Sterling, who does anything but benefit the franchise. Then you had your incompetent coach Chris Ford, who was fired midway through the season.
Finally, you had center Keith Closs. He was the picture of the season for the Clippers; he put up minimal stats and caused maximum headaches.
Interestingly enough, Closs was assaulted by a mob the following summer. (Editor’s note: you may not feel sorry for the Clippers…but wow, you must feel sorry for Closs after watching this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=201VN1m44j8).
Worst Moment- Ray Lewis
Ray Lewis wasn’t known for hard hits at the beginning of last decade.
In January 2000, Lewis and a few of his friends got involved in a fight after a post-Superbowl party. The scuffle resulted in the stabbing deaths of Jacinth Baker and Richard Lollar.
Lewis accused the prosecution of purposely targeting him for a murder he allegedly didn’t commit just to see him in jail. The legendary linebacker was acquitted of murder charges after testifying against the two companions he was with that night (Reginald Oakley and Joseph Sweeting) and pleading guilty to a misdemeanor charge of obstruction of justice.
Lewis wasn’t let off the hook easily, however. He was sentenced to 12 months probation for giving misleading information to the police and he was fined $250,000 by the NFL. Finally, he was barred from saying the traditional “I’m going to Disney World” when the Ravens won the Superbowl the next year.
Perhaps the most absurd thing about this whole incident was not allowing Lewis to say the phrase. Wouldn’t you want to go to Disney World if you almost ended up in jail?
2001
Worst Team- Chicago Bulls
The Michael Jordan days were never more distant for the Bulls than in the 2000-01 NBA season.
This was the year that Chicago was supposed to rebuild. That summer, the Bulls were given all-star free agent class— with the likes of Tracy McGrady and Tim Duncan— to choose from. The Bulls were left to build off of alternative free agent picks and their draft class when the upper echelon stars re-signed to their respective teams.
The Bulls didn’t get much. Chicago ended up with the youngest roster in NBA history and its second worst record in history: 15-67.
I’m pretty sure Bulls fans have forgotten about that season. You know, with having Derrick Rose and everything.
Worst Moment- Death of Dale Earnhardt (editor’s note: I do realize I discussed Earnhardt’s death in a previous blog post, but this event is still unbelievably sad.)
In February 18, 2001, millions of Americans tuned in to Fox for the 43rd annual Daytona 500. They were all watching as the legendary Dale Earnhardt lost control of his signature number 3 car in the final lap of the race and crashed head-on into Ken Schrader’s car.
What those millions of people didn’t realize, however, was that they just watch the death of an auto racing legend. Earnhardt suffered a basal skull fracture on impact and just like that, a career which included seven Winston Cup wins and 76 won races had come to end.
The loss wasn’t just felt in the auto racing community, but in all of sports.
2002
Worst Team- Carolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers played pretty solid football in their 2001-02 season opening game against the Minnesota Vikings. The Panthers capitalized off of Dante Culpepper’s three interceptions to beat their NFC opponent, 24-13.
Unfortunately for the Panthers, all of the season’s highlights were in that one game.
Winning went out of style for some odd reason and Carolina ended up dropping its next 15 games to finish with an abysmal 1-15 record. The Panthers finished the season 29th in points scored and 28th in points allowed.
The Panthers once again found themselves at the bottom last season with a 2-14 record.
Worst Moment- Baseball Gets Dramatic
On one hand, you had your family drama. When the legendary Ted Williams died of cardiac arrest in July 5th, a huge family conflict broke out over what to do with his corpse. Williams’ oldest daughter fought to have her father cremated like he wished, while her three other siblings sought to have him cryogenically frozen. The three siblings won the battle because of a signed family pact.
You also got your other two things that always make a drama worthwhile: absurdity and drugs. Sports Illustrated ran a cover story in which Ken Caminiti admitted to steroid use, which was only a prelude to the upcoming damage the performance-enhancing drug would have on the sport. Soon afterwards, the 2002 All-Star Game controversially ended in a tie when both teams ran out of players. No MVP award was given for the game.
The stories did everything but help out the sport. That year’s World Series earned its worst television ratings ever (until 2005).
And oh yeah, the Anaheim Angels were the 2002 champions.
2003
Worst Team- Detroit Tigers
There’s not much good that can be said about this team.
The 2003 Detroit Tigers failed in pretty much every aspect of the game of baseball. The pitching staff had an ERA of 5.30, while the batters averaged just .240 at the plate for the season.
However, what stands out the most is their record. They finished the season at 43-119, barely missing the 1962 Mets’ worst season record in modern baseball history (40-120).
And what’s more? Tigers players actually popped champagne bottles in the locker after their 41st victory.
Good job guys.
Worst Moment- Dave Bliss
We all know college sports are a business, but this was just going to far.
Dave Bliss, Baylor’s former men’s basketball head coach, engaged in a number of wildly illegal actions during his coaching tenure. The NCAA only started investigating these allegations after forward Patrick Dennehy was found murdered during the summer.
The investigations revealed that Bliss paid for part of Dennehy’s and guard Corey Herring’s tuition, an NCAA violation. He also covered up the team’s marijuana and alcohol use and recruited athletes using pickup games.
Bliss’ lying to investigators only added fuel to the fire. Assistant coach Abar Rouse taped Bliss’ conversations with the team. The tape revealed that he instructed players to fabricate stories to lead investigators to believe that Dennehy was dealing drugs to pay his tuition.
Rouse’s recordings were seen as a breach of trust between staff members, while Bliss’ actions were just seen as outright shocking.
2004
Worst Team- Men’s USA Basketball Team
Quick fact: the men’s Olympic USA basketball team has won 13 gold medals in its 17 appearances. The 2004 team’s all-star cast had many thinking America was about to get another.
With Dwayne Wade, Allen Iverson, and Tim Duncan in one team, how can we not win gold, right?
Well America did win gold…South America, that is.
Argentina came out on top, while the 2004 USA team earned the title “The Nightmare Team.” USA’s bronze medal performance marked the first time that an Olympic team comprised of professionals failed to come up with gold.
Some Americans took solace in the fact that the US at least came in third place.
Others saw the disappointing finish as the equivalent of the US Navy SEALs saying they only managed to shoot Osama Bin Laden’s knee cap.
Worst Moment- NHL Lockout
Two things should come to mind when you think of events that caused the most harm to their sport over the last decade: steroid usage in baseball and the NHL lockout.
After failing to renew its collective bargaining agreement, the NHL was forced to eventually cancel its 2004-05 season. The NHL was only major American league to have its entire season cancelled due to an unresolved labor dispute.
Although hockey resumed the next season, it was clear the damage the lockout has done would take years to repair. ESPN opted out of its broadcasting contact with the NHL and left it as the only one of the four major sports leagues not to be broadcast on the sports network. The NHL’s popularity dropped significantly after the lockout, as well.
The league has recovered since then and now enjoys a moderate fan base. But there will always be those words engraved into the Stanley Cup: 2004–05 Season Not Played.
2005
Worst Team- Atlanta Hawks
If the Atlanta Hawks’ home court advantage was this non-existent during the 2011 NBA playoffs, you can only imagine how empty the seats were during the 2004-05 season.
This was the year that the Hawks finished dead last with their all-time worst record, 13-69. This marked the sixth straight season Atlanta failed to make the playoffs.
The Hawks were virtually talentless and were near the bottom of the league in points per game and points allowed.
Worst Moment- Hurricane Katrina
Playing on the road in the NFL is as tough as it comes. But the word harsh doesn’t even begin to describe the 16 away games the New Orleans Saints had to play in the 2004-05 NFL season.
New Orleans was forced to play all of its home games on the road when the Louisiana Superdome became a last resort shelter for Hurricane Katrina survivors. The Saints played their home games at Tiger Stadium in Detroit, San Antonio’s Alamodome, and Giants Stadium.
The Saints couldn’t overcome the unfortunate circumstances and finished the season with an abysmal 3-13 record.
New Orleans found redemption when Drew Brees led the Saints to a Superbowl win in 2010 over the Colts. New Orleans was partying once again.
2006
Worst Team- St. Louis Blues
The St. Louis Blues have experienced ups and downs over the past decade. The Blues hit their low in the 2005-06 season, when they finished last in the league with a record of 21-46-15. This year marked the end of 25 consecutive playoff appearances for the Blues (WOW).
St. Louis didn’t find a great deal of success after that horrible season. The Blues would make only one playoff appearance afterwards. They were swept in that 2008 appearance by the Vancouver Canucks.
The bright side to this playoff dry spell is that the Blues have been showing improvement over the past few years. They have finished three consecutive seasons with winning records.
Worst Moment: Zinedine Zidane
Sometimes, legends don’t go out on a good note.
Midfielder Zinedine Zidane was set to lead France to another World Cup victory in the 2006 finale against Italy. It seemed there would be another memorable performance as he scored France’s only goal off of a penalty kick in the early minutes.
Unfortunately for the French, a completely different side of Zidane showed up in the 110th minute. Zidane headbutted an opposing Italian player hard in the chest after allegedly hearing him insult his sister. Zidane was issued a red card and was forced to watch as Italy defeated France in a shootout.
This was Zidane’s final act on the soccer field as this was his last match ever. Zidane’s career included being named FIFA World Player of the Year three times and being part of France’s 1998 World Cup team. It’s a shame that his career had to end with a provoked act of aggression.
It’s hard to decide who had the worst sendoff: Zidane, Phil Jackson, or Dan Marino.
2007
Worst Team- Memphis Grizzles
I remember back in 2007 I accidently referred to the Memphis Grizzles as “Vancouver” during a basketball discussion with a few of my friends. I probably should’ve been heavily reprimanded for making such a mistake.
However, they completely disregarded it. Perhaps they knew that the Grizzlies were so bad that it seemed they weren’t too far from the Vancouver days.
The Grizzles fell back into mediocrity with a 22-60 record, despite the years of progress after moving to Memphis.
Memphis found its way back into being a playoff contender last year, so any Vancouver/Memphis discrepancies these days are inexcusable.
Worst Moment- Sean Taylor is Killed
The NFL has seen its fair share of player misconduct over the past decade. But it is important to realize that the players chose to do what they did for whatever reason. All the consequences of their actions were on their shoulders and no one else’s.
Case in point: Michael Vick and Plaxico Burress.
What makes Sean Taylor’s case disturbing was that he did absolutely nothing wrong. Taylor was finally getting his life straightened out for his daughter when burglars invaded his home on November 26, 2007. The invaders shot him in the upper leg, mortally wounding him because of the damage to his femoral artery. He died from the loss of blood the day after.
Taylor was one of the best safeties in the league at the time of his death and he had the respect of the NFL players and fans (editor’s note: I’m sure Brian Moorman still had some hard feelings—http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=neGsutVPOXw). His skills on the field were only improving and we are left to wonder about what could’ve been.
The Redskins lined up with their free safety spot open in the first play of the next game against the Bills.
That spot feels empty to this day.
2008
Worst Sports Team- New York Knicks
It wasn’t healthy to keep your hopes up if you were a Knicks fan over the past decade.
You had the headaches caused by Stephon Marbury, the migraines caused by a declining Steve Francis, and then the depression caused by Larry Brown’s miserable tenure as head coach.
Those symptoms only worsened when Isiah Thomas was hired as the Knicks’ new head coach in 2006. Thomas predicted a “championship legacy” as long as he stayed with the Knicks.
Obviously, that didn’t happen. The Knicks had consecutive losing seasons under Thomas’ two-season stint. It was clear New York had to look for a new coach after its abysmal 2007-08 season.
The Knicks went 23-59 that season, tying the franchises worst record.
Here’s a fun fact: Thomas basically halted practices around All-Star break. You’d think they’d at least try to win some games given their massive payroll, right?
Worst Sports Moment- Plaxico Burress Shoots Himself
What New York professional sports athlete wore blue and orange and is not a Knick?
Plaxico Burress.
Burress fell from winning one of the most coveted titles of American sports to joke fodder after one trip to the nightclub with teammate Antonio Pierce. The superstar wide receiver panicked a little bit when he felt his pistol sliding down his pants while at the club. When he reached the gun to reposition it, he accidently pulled the trigger and shot himself in the leg.
Burress’ injury was not life-threatening. However, he was charged with criminal possession of a weapon and reckless endangerment, earning himself two years in prison.
2009
Worst Sports Team- Detroit Lions
Frankly, Detroit has been a bad franchise for as long as it has existed. The Lions have only won one playoff game in the Superbowl era. They’ve also had ten consecutive losing seasons over the past decade.
Then there’s the fact that they went winless in the 2008-09 NFL season. Americans witnessed history as the Lions became the first team since the 1976 Buccaneers to go an entire season without winning a single game.
The Lions’ losing streak later extended to 19. When the Lions finally won in week three of the next season, the ensuing celebration was so raucous that you’d think Detroit had just won a Superbowl.
Worst Sports Moment- The Angel of Death Hates Sports
It’s easy to forget how mortal professional athletes are because of how iconic some of them are in our eyes. That’s why it’s so shocking anytime we lose one of them.
In 2009, at least 40 prominent sports figures passed away. The deceased included the former NFL MVP quarterback Steve McNair, Bengals wide receiver Chris Henry, and North Carolina State women’s basketball coach.
Appreciate them while they’re here, folks.
2010
Worst Sports Team- New Jersey Nets
Lawrence Frank did show promise when he first started coaching the Nets at the halfway point of the 2003-04 season. He started his tenure with a 13-win game streak, the most by a new head coach in any of the four major professional sports. He also led the Nets to four straight playoff appearances.
Frank’s winning ways did not last and his team’s record started to decline until it reached its lowest point in the 2009-10 season. When the Nets started that season 0-16, Frank was ousted and later replaced with Kiki Vandeweghe.
The coaching change didn’t do much and New Jersey ended up tying the worst 50-game record for any professional sports team (4-46).
The one highlight of the season happened on March 29, when they beat San Antonio. The Nets managed to avoid tying 1971-72 76ers’ worst record in NBA history.
They won two more games to finish the season at 12-70.
Worst Sports Moment- Big Ben’s Big Problem
Ben Roethlisberger, a year after leading the stunning game-winning drive in Superbowl XLIII, found himself in some trouble.
Big Ben was accused of sexually assaulting a 20-year-old college student at Milledgeville, Ga. inside a bathroom stall. All charges were dropped against Roethlisberger because the prosecution could not gather sufficient evidence. The NFL was not as lenient and suspended Roethlisberger for four games for violating its personal conduct policy.
The true damage of the incident showed up around midway through the 2010-11 season. At that point, it seemed that an Eagles team led by Michael Vick and the Steelers may face each other in the Superbowl that year. This upset quite a few people.
They feared that the NFL had become a league of criminals.
2011 (so far)
Worst Sports Team- Cleveland Cavaliers
Cleveland Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert made a bold prediction in a letter following LeBron James’ departure last year.
“I personally guarantee that the Cleveland Cavaliers will win an NBA Championship before the self-titled former king wins one,” Gilbert said.
We don’t know if this prediction will yield to be true or not, but LeBron and his new team were certainly closer to a ring than Cleveland last year. The Cavaliers just couldn’t fill the void left by The Chosen One and they fell to a 19-63 record.
Cleveland did break some unfortunate milestones in the process. It broke the single-season record for most consecutive losses with 26.
In that month-long span, the Cavaliers suffered a 112-57 loss to the Lakers. This was the seventh-largest loss in NBA history.
We will see if Cleveland can turn things around with first-round draft pick Kyrie Irving next season.
Worst Sports Moment- NFL/NBA Lockout
Players unions, owners, money, collective bargaining agreements, etc. The bottom line is as of right now, we’re not going to have an NFL or an NBA season.
Ray Lewis said in an ESPN interview that crime will rise if football is taken away.
He may be right, and that prediction may double if basketball is taken away as well.
Dishonorable Mentions
Teams
2001-02 Atlanta Hawks: This team holds the dubious honor of holding the worst NHL record last decade. They did gain pity points for being a new expansion team.
2007-08 Miami Heat: Miami’s 15-67 record is proof of why D-league players should never play in the NBA winter months.
Pittsburgh Pirates: Pittsburgh had nothing but losing records last decade. At least no one can say the Pirates weren’t consistent.
Moments
Michael Vick: The Bad Newz Kennels turned into bad news for Vick as he earned 23 months in prison for federal charges and an NFL suspension.
Chris Benoit’s Double Murder-Suicide: Studies showed that Benoit’s murder-suicide may have been linked to years of head trauma and steroid abuse. WWE chose to wipe Benoit from the record books instead of improving its wrestlers’ safety. Ridiculous.
Tiger Woods loses big: Just how much did cheating on his model wife cost Woods? Approximately $100 million dollars in divorce settlements, his clean reputation, and perhaps his focus. It is clear he is not the same golf player that he was before the incident.
The Spectrum: Sports Blog 