Not So Great Scott!!!

If there were a choking Hall of Fame, this could be the logo (Reggie Miller of the Indiana Pacers vs the New York Knicks in Game 5 of the 1994 Eastern Conference Finals). 6

If there were a Choke Job Hall of Fame, the following well known meltdowns in sports history would be inductees:

1951 Brooklyn Dodgers

The Dodgers blew a 13.5 game lead in August in the National League pennant race, tied by the New York Giants on the final day of the regular season. The teams would have a best of three pennant playoff ending in Bobby Thomson’s famous “Shot Heard ‘Round the World” and Giants broadcaster Russ Hodges immortal call of, “The GIANTS WIN THE PENNANT!!! THE GIANTS WIN The PENNANT!!!” in Game 3 of the tiebreaker series.

"THE GIANTS WIN THE PENNANT!!! THE GIANTS WIN THE PENNANT!!!"

December 7, 1980 – New Orleans Saints at San Francisco 49ers

A winless, 0-14 Saints team traveled to Candlestick Park to play a very young, developing, struggling, 5-8 49ers team. The Saints charged to a 35-7 lead at the half behind the passing of quarterback Archie Manning. The 49ers would rally in the second half behind the leadership of their quarterback, Joe Montana (you may have heard of him) and win the game in overtime, 38-35. It is the single greatest regular season comeback in NFL history.

The next week, the Saints would earn that evasive first win at Shea Stadium against the New York Jets. The next years the 49ers would win their evasive first Super Bowl championship against the Cincinnati Bengals at the Silverdome in Pontiac, Michigan. The Saints would have to wait another 20 years before winning a playoff game. The 49ers would have to wait another 19 years before winning less than 10 games in a season again.

That Montana fellow would amount to something one day. 1

1992 AFC Wildcard Game – Houston Oilers at Buffalo Bills – January 3, 1993

The two-time defending AFC Champion Bills did not appear to be winning what would be the third of four consecutive AFC championships (and four consecutive Super Bowl losses). The Oilers intercepted a Frank Reich pass in the third quarter and returned it for a touchdown to take a 35-3 second half lead. Two things would not happen for the rest of the 1992 NFL season: the Oilers would not score another touchdown and the Bills would not lose to another AFC opponent.

Reich led the Bills to a furious comeback, taking a 38-35 lead late in the 4th quarter. The Oilers still had a pulse as Hall of Fame quarterback Warren Moon led the Oilers to a game tying field goal. The Bills would go on to win in overtime, 41-38 on a Steve Christie field goal. The Buffalo rally is the greatest comeback in NFL history.

"YAY! Now we can be embarrassed in another Super Bowl." 2

1996 Masters – Greg Norman

Norman took an all but insurmountable six stroke lead into the final round of the Masters. By the end of the day, The Shark was made into soup by Nick Faldo, who shot five under in the final round. Norman shot six over to finish second, just a single stroke ahead of third place Phil Mickelson. It is arguably the most epic collapse in PGA history. The “argument” was provided yesterday.

"Adam Scott did what on the last four holes? Good! People aren't talking about me anymore! Gooood!" 3

2004 American League Championship Series – New York Yankees vs Boston Red Sox

The Boston Red Sox, who had not won a World Series since 1918 behind the power hitting of Babe Ruth, lost the first three games of a seven game series to the Yankees. Behind the heroic efforts of Curt Schilling, Tim Wakefield and David “Big Papi” Ortiz, the Red Sox would rally to win four consecutive games to advance to the World Series, becoming the first team in the (then) 136 season history of Major League Baseball. The BoSox would sweep the St. Louis Cardinals and end “The Curse of The Bambino”. The Yankees, particularly Alex Rodriguez, who would go 2 for 17 in Games 4 through 7, would not live the unprecedented failure down until winning the World Series in 2009.

You know you are desperate when the series is slipping away and you try to slap the ball out of the fielder's glove before he can tag you. You know baseball is L..O..N..G overdue for an expansion of instant reply when it took an umpires' conference to finally call him out. 4

2012 Open Championship, Final Round, back nine – Adam Scott

Chris Rock has a bit in his 1999 stand up act, “Bigger and Blacker,” in which he suggests that President Bill Clinton was pleased and relieved when serious news events gripped the country and deflected attention from his impeachment and the Monica Lewisnsky scandal. “Good! Gooood! People aren’t talkin’ ‘bout ME! Gooood,” Rock quipped.

I can only imagine that something similar flashed through the aforementioned Greg Norman’s mind as the comic-tragic events of the Adam Scott’s final four holes at the Open Championship unfolded. Scott appeared to be running away from Tiger Woods, Graeme McDowell, (eventual winner) Ernie Els and the rest of the field on Saturday and well into Sunday. Scott led by four strokes at the start of the round, already a commanding lead. He led by four strokes heading into the final four holes, what should be an insurmountable lead. It wasn’t.

The power of social media....

SNATCHING DEFEAT FROM THE JAWS OF VICTORY

Scott bogeyed on four consecutive holes. Els birdied on the 18th hole. Els wins; Scott finishes second. It sounds like something that could only happen in a movie or a video game.

Scott completed a collapse for all seasons. While Els’ win was completely fair and square, it is hard to not put a mental asterisk next to his win because of the bizarre and unlikely manner in which it was made possible.

On Saturday, Scott sank a very long and difficult putt on the 15th hole. I tweeted that I wish I could putt like that. Scott was so far ahead on Sunday, that I stopped watching only to be informed in the above manner of Scott epic collapse. This was a debacle for the ages.

Cue Bill Duke from Menace II Society. 5

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3) Image from www.soccerlens.com
4) Image from http://www.bleacherreport.com/
5) Image from http://www.usatoday.com/
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