Re: Yanks are .500

On Sat, 16 Jun 2007 03:51:06 GMT, Pepe Papon <a@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
wrote:

On Fri, 15 Jun 2007 09:03:34 -0400, Brad Greer <jjh1102us@xxxxxxxxx>
wrote:


Okay, so losing four straight games after being up 3-0 in a league
championship season is just an inopportune losing streak but the
collapse of the Red Sox in '78 is a choke. Seth, you may not consider
the way the Yankees lost the 2004 ALCS to be a choke but most people
outside of Yankees fans view it that way. As I said, you can define
the biggest choke in sports history various ways but the collapse of
the Yankees (up 3 games to none and ahead going into the 9th inning
with Rivera on the mound to lose game four followed by blowing a two
run lead in the 8th inning the next day with Rivera's second
consecutive blown save) is viewed by most people as a choke.

I'd rather examine what actually occurred than appeal to popular
opinion in making my judgments. A choke involves more than merely
losing. It involves blowing easy plays or some other means of
extended ineptitude or self-destruction.

4-game losing streaks to good teams aren't all that remarkable.. One
can hardly pin a choke on Rivera in Game 4.

One could easily say that Gordon choked in Game 5, but seeing as
though he has had a long history of postseason choking, his Game 5
performance wasn't anything out of the ordinary for him.

Pointing to "Rivera's 2nd straight blown save in Game 5" says more
about the shortcomings of the Save statistic than about Rivera's
performance. He entered the game with the tying run on third and
nobody out in the 8th inning and retired all six men he faced. That
the tying run scored on a flyout hardly makes him guilty of a
meltdown.

Contrast 2004 to 1978, where the Sox blew a 14 1/2-game lead, another
feat which was unprecedented. During the infamous Boston Massacre,
the team allowed over 10 runs a game and committed 12 errors in the
field. In '86, when the Sox had the Championship in their grasp,
they lost on a wild pitch and a botched play on a grounder that any
Little Leaguer could have handled. Those are chokes.

For the Yankees, the 9th inning of Game 7 in 2001 would be more of a
choke than 2004. The stage was set by Rivera's wild throw into
center field, Brosius' failure to complete the DP at 1st base, and
Rivera hitting Counsell with a pitch. They gave the lead away in
that game; thus, it could properly be labeled a choke. Also, the
situation was more critical, as they were that much closer to the
ultimate prize. As a Yankee fan, 2001 hurt way more than 2004.

Any time a team loses a series after being up 3-0 sports fans will
rule it a choke. And I suspect you would too for any team other than
the Yankees.
.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Yanks are .500
    ... with nothing to show for it but the biggest choke in ... The Yankees blew a 14 1/2 game lead? ... Mariano on the mound and then losing the series was a monumental ...
    (rec.music.gdead)
  • Re: Yanks are .500
    ... with nothing to show for it but the biggest choke in ... The Yankees blew a 14 1/2 game lead? ... Biggest in sports history? ...
    (rec.music.gdead)
  • Re: NOTHING EVER...
    ... It's the choke by which all others are measured. ... the '04 Yankees would have been clear underdogs to St. Louis ... WORLD SERIES, ONE GAME AHEAD, TWO RUNS AHEAD, LAST INNING, ONE FRIGGIN' ...
    (alt.sports.baseball.bos-redsox)
  • Re: Yanks are .500
    ... championship season is just an inopportune losing streak but the ... collapse of the Red Sox in '78 is a choke. ... outside of Yankees fans view it that way. ... can hardly pin a choke on Rivera in Game 4. ...
    (rec.music.gdead)
  • Re: Yanks are .500
    ... so losing four straight games after being up 3-0 in a league ... collapse of the Red Sox in '78 is a choke. ... outside of Yankees fans view it that way. ... can hardly pin a choke on Rivera in Game 4. ...
    (rec.music.gdead)