It's not just that the Cubs flopped in 69--give some credit to the Mets, who won 38 of their last 49 game, and incredible performance.

I think the Yankees losing 4 after going up 3 against the Redsox should be ranked higher, too.

Heh, I watched both Lefty and Van de Velde's melt downs. I probably saw Greg's as well but I don't actually remember it, but since I haven't missed a Masters since the late 70's I must have seen it.

"An" incredible performance...d'oh!

The 2005 White Sox choked away their spot on the choking list.

what about the 2001 Blazers. Didn't they score something like 5 point in the fourth quarter of the western conference finals? Pippen throwing the towel at Sabonis?

Epic meltdown

If the Music City Miracle is on here, what about Cal-Stanford 1982?

no cleveland references, but i guess those were more individual gaffes (Byner, Jose Mesa) rather than team, or else the result of a phenomenal individual performance on the other team. (Elway, Jordan)

cartersdad: what about the 2001 Blazers. Didn't they score something like 5 point in the fourth quarter of the western conference finals? Pippen throwing the towel at Sabonis?

Epic meltdown

They should definitely be on that list.

Also, the 1995 Angels' collapse.

whiskeyinthejar,

Not a choke job at all. The Giants out played the Patriots when it counted. To call it a choke on the Pats part would only diminish what the Giants accomplished.

/Pats fan

Rev.K: I will never, ever forget watching the Liverpool/AC Milan game.


I'm amazed SI could find one example outside of the USA or American athletes.

Just knew there would not be any cricket examples.

Whats wrong with the 1999 World Cup South African semi-final loss? Or the reverse game when Australia failed to defend the then world record total, in the 2006 ODI?

/To name two of the top of my head.
//Answer is probably: Because no one cares about cricket.

squidloe: whiskeyinthejar,

Not a choke job at all. The Giants out played the Patriots when it counted. To call it a choke on the Pats part would only diminish what the Giants accomplished.

/Pats fan



This.
whiskeyinthejar is doing it wrong.

Good call Squidloe

Pats brought their B game and Giants brought their A. Surprising yes, but not a choke, Pats never had the game in the bag.

/Giants fan
//Props to Squidloe

Hot lesbo action on page 12!

I would add the greatest comeback in NFL history:

2003 Tampa Bay vs. Indianapolis. Tampa is the defending Super Bowl champs and had the best defense in the league (supposedly). 4th quarter Tampa is winning by 21 points with less than 4 minutes to go...

Most people turned the TV off but I was lucky enough to stay tuned out of boredom -- to see the greatest comeback (or meltdown if you want) of NFL history.

Manning scores 21 points in less than 4 minutes, goes into OT, wins.

Biggest meltdown in NFL history, aside maybe from this years's super bowl...

squidloe: whiskeyinthejar,

Not a choke job at all. The Giants out played the Patriots when it counted. To call it a choke on the Pats part would only diminish what the Giants accomplished.

/Pats fan

You can say that about a lot of the teams/games in that list. I think there's a fine line between a great upset and a huge choke job. Both basically require greatness on one side and underperformance on the other, especially in pro sports.

/Pats fan

Re the Bartman play: Luis Castillo hit it and Moises Alou couldn't catch it.

Then both Castillo and Alou would wind up as teammates on the 2007 Mets. So that explains the collapse: it was overflow from Bartman.

/2007 Mets weren't the worst MLB collapse:
1978 Red Sox: 14 up on New York with 72 to play, 14 / 72 = .194
2007 Mets: 7 up on Phila. with 17 to play, 7 / 17 = .412
1964 Phillies: 6½ up on St. Louis with 12 to play, 6½ / 12 = .542
2004 Yankees: 3 up on Boston in the ALCS with 4 to play, 3 / 4 = .750

2wolves: Pirates vs. Yankees in '60?

I don't think that was really a choke job. The Yankees just managed to crush the Pirates when they won, and the Pirates managed to eke out four wins out of seven.

A dropped foul ball allows EIGHT more runs in the inning? Give me a break... and leave my buddy Bartman alone. Stupid Cub fan losers.

How about the 1985 Cardinals melting down in game 7 of the WS, after the great call by Denkinger?

Just knew there would not be any cricket examples.

Whats wrong with the 1999 World Cup South African semi-final loss? Or the reverse game when Australia failed to defend the then world record total, in the 2006 ODI?

I watched the 1999 World Cup semi-final. Actually, you almost couldn't call it a choke...Australia had the game completely in hand going into the last over, and if Klusener had managed to finish what he started, we'd be talking about Australia's choke job as the worst of all time.

But I agree that South Africa's brain freeze was one of the worst in world sport. For my fellow Americans--it was a screwup on the order of Webber's phantom timeout or Van de Velde at the British Open. You can see it on YouTube here (promise, no Rick Roll)...watch how Allan Donald looks totally lost out there.

2wolves:

Pirates vs. Yankees in '60?

Not every game/series where the underdog wins is a choke by the favorite.

beantowndog: whiskeyinthejar

You should watch that game sometime, it was good.

If he did, he would have seen the Pats score late in the 4th quarter, only to be overcome by an even more impressive drive by the Giants.

He knows this, he just wanted to post those pictures again.

This guy should be on the list... not his team, just him.

Aren't we missing a few like:

- West Virginia's football team blowing a gimme game against Pitt
- The OU Sooners losing to Boise State
- Tampa Bay's Monday Night debacle
- Seattle's collapse against the Denver Nuggets in the 1994 NBA playoffs

iamskibibitz: - The OU Sooners losing to Boise State

Actually, that was only close to being a Boise State 'choke'...

Was the text for #19 written by retarded monkeys??

The Red Wings choked like the biatches they are. They did not go on to win the cup.

According to Sports illustrated:

Before the 2004 Yankees, there were the 1942-43 Red Wings. Up three games to none in the Stanley Cup finals, Detroit was on the brink of sending the Toronto Maple Leafs home. But led by Leafs fourth-liner Don Metz and goalie Turk Broda, the Red Wings completed arguably the greatest comeback in sports history, winning Lord Stanley's Cup.

So poorly written. The Red wings did NOT complete a comback, they were the team that the LEAFS completed the comeback on. The best part is they got the year wrong too. The Leafs completed their comeback 1941-42 season.

In 1942-43 Detroit was the winner, 4-0 over boston.

Aren't these guys supposed to know sports?

HulkHands: Good list
Mavericks 2006 Finals

FTA: becoming the 10th NBA team to squander a 2-0 lead in a best-of-seven series.


Yeahhhhhh, if it's happened 10 times before I can't call it that much of a choke job.

As a Seattle sports fan, I have endured and relished some pretty major chokes.

'94 Sonics v. Denver series
'95 Mariners 13 back in Mid-August capturing the A.L. West in a one game playoff with the then California Angels.

Millzners: I would add the greatest comeback in NFL history:

2003 Tampa Bay vs. Indianapolis. Tampa is the defending Super Bowl champs and had the best defense in the league (supposedly). 4th quarter Tampa is winning by 21 points with less than 4 minutes to go...

Most people turned the TV off but I was lucky enough to stay tuned out of boredom -- to see the greatest comeback (or meltdown if you want) of NFL history.

Manning scores 21 points in less than 4 minutes, goes into OT, wins.

Biggest meltdown in NFL history, aside maybe from this years's super bowl...


And the survey says....you fail:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Comeback_(American_football)

HulkHands: Mavericks 2006 Finals

Last year's loss to Golden State belongs on the list more than this. The Mavs still win that series without the most ridiculous phantom foul call I've ever seen.

Bennett Salvatore choked, not the Mavs.

And the Cowboys this year may have been a bigger choke than the Pats. They had two legitimate chances to win in the 4th quarter that they didn't capitalize on.

wmprofr: A dropped foul ball allows EIGHT more runs in the inning? Give me a break... and leave my buddy Bartman alone. Stupid Cub fan losers.

Huh? Which Cub fan in this instance is blaming Bartman for the 2003 NLCS collapse? I've said it so many times that I might as well get it tattooed into my forehead that Alex farking Gonzalez booting a sure thing double-play ball (along with Prior throwing a hissy fit on the mound) that inning caused the floodgates to open. Bartman was just a convenient foil on which to place blame; a goat, if you will.

/and fark the dis-Cards.

germ78: I've said it so many times that I might as well get it tattooed into my forehead that Alex farking Gonzalez booting a sure thing double-play ball (along with Prior throwing a hissy fit on the mound) that inning caused the floodgates to open. Bartman was just a convenient foil on which to place blame; a goat, if you will.

You also had Kyle Farnsworth, which no one should wish on anyone.

squidloe: The Giants out played the Patriots when it counted. To call it a choke on the Pats part would only diminish what the Giants accomplished.

/Pats fan

Agreed. That was just a helluva game, period. Both teams played their asses off.

/Giants fan

Daniels: HulkHands: Mavericks 2006 Finals

Last year's loss to Golden State belongs on the list more than this. The Mavs still win that series without the most ridiculous phantom foul call I've ever seen.

Bennett Salvatore choked, not the Mavs.

And the Cowboys this year may have been a bigger choke than the Pats. They had two legitimate chances to win in the 4th quarter that they didn't capitalize on.

Please tell the class what game you are talking about when you say the Pats choked?

MmmBadEggs: squidloe: The Giants out played the Patriots when it counted. To call it a choke on the Pats part would only diminish what the Giants accomplished.

/Pats fan

Agreed. That was just a helluva game, period. Both teams played their asses off.

/Giants fan

I agree. It was the best football game I ever saw. But the pain at the end was awful. Good for the G men,they earned it.

You know soccer is awesome when losing a two goal lead with 45 minutes to play is considered choking.
Wait, did I say awesome? Because I meant gay beyond belief.

Di Atribe: HulkHands: Mavericks 2006 Finals

:(

I take slight solace in the fact that the Heat suck major monkey balls now.

Well, in all fairness, their collapse last year was MUCH worse than the one on '06. We're lucky they didn't get listed twice. Though with the absence of the '07 pats, this has GOT to be an old list.

Millzners: I would add the greatest comeback in NFL history:

2003 Tampa Bay vs. Indianapolis. Tampa is the defending Super Bowl champs and had the best defense in the league (supposedly). 4th quarter Tampa is winning by 21 points with less than 4 minutes to go...

Most people turned the TV off but I was lucky enough to stay tuned out of boredom -- to see the greatest comeback (or meltdown if you want) of NFL history.

Manning scores 21 points in less than 4 minutes, goes into OT, wins.

Biggest meltdown in NFL history, aside maybe from this years's super bowl...


The '92 bills need you to check their stats...