Worst T.V. sports moment

[stonebreakerwasgod]

I was trying to think about the worst tv sports moment for athletes, coaches, and commentators. I hate to have to choose one (or this would last forever), but one that comes to mind is Hal McRae with the KC Royals. It wasn't just a dumb comment, he became completely unhinged and was exhibiting a nice tirade by yelling and throwing stuff. That was GREAT tv!!

 

[irishunclebill]

I can't think of a single moment off hand that sticks out, although the name Mike Tyson is one of the first things that come to mind, but I'll come up with a specific one.

This one is not a single moment because it usually lasts about 3 hours but it is painful to have to go through an entire NFL broadcast where Dick Stockton does the play by play. Now Dick is not loud, or particularly obnoxious, but he is famous, at least in my family, for the extraordinary number of mistakes that he makes every game. We keep a little tally sheet for fun on Dick's boo boo's, and if he gets into double digits by halftime we all celebrate (for Dick) by having triple shots of Tullamore Dew. Needless to say, we always root for Dick to hit that halftime target, and we are seldom disappointed.

I know that this relates to the athlete or sportscaster's worst moment, and I hate to bring it up, but for me personally the worst sports moment was also a halftime of football, the second half of the Sugar Bowl. I can not remember a more disheartening 30 minutes of football. It was like watching something, but not really believing it was happening. Needless to say, after that game, the Tullamore Dew was used for more than just the Dick Stockton celebration.

 

[stonebreakerwasgod]

I can't think of a single moment off hand that sticks out, although the name Mike Tyson is one of the first things that come to mind, but I'll come up with a specific one.

This one is not a single moment because it usually lasts about 3 hours but it is painful to have to go through an entire NFL broadcast where Dick Stockton does the play by play. Now Dick is not loud, or particularly obnoxious, but he is famous, at least in my family, for the extraordinary number of mistakes that he makes every game. We keep a little tally sheet for fun on Dick's boo boo's, and if he gets into double digits by halftime we all celebrate (for Dick) by having triple shots of Tullamore Dew. Needless to say, we always root for Dick to hit that halftime target, and we are seldom disappointed.

I know that this relates to the athlete or sportscaster's worst moment, and I hate to bring it up, but for me personally the worst sports moment was also a halftime of football, the second half of the Sugar Bowl. I can not remember a more disheartening 30 minutes of football. It was like watching something, but not really believing it was happening. Needless to say, after that game, the Tullamore Dew was used for more than just the Dick Stockton celebration.

I love the part about the Tullamore Dew! I never would have thought of Stockton, great post!

 

[irishunclebill]

I have one for you, the Nancy Kerrigan attack incident. I am linking from YouTube the ABC report of it the next day, but I have to warn you, it is painful to watch. The report itself is somewhat of a classic though because it was done before they knew Tonya Harding was involved, and the last image on the video clip is of Tonya Harding on the ice. The juxtaposition of Harding skating as that last image versus the realization that everyone now knows she was involved in the actual attack on Kerrigan is quite disturbing.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=6T09XWRkq5M

 

[stonebreakerwasgod]

Is it more disturbing that Harding became a boxer, or took out her rival? She was kinda hot for awhile. Yikes, I get the whilies for ever thinking that.

 

[irishunclebill]

Is it more disturbing that Harding became a boxer, or took out her rival? She was kinda hot for awhile. Yikes, I get the whilies for ever thinking that.

 

[stonebreakerwasgod]

You gotta consider Al Campanis as a front runner. In '87 on nightline, he proclaimed that blacks lacked the necessities to be managers or gm's in baseball.

OR> (perhaps this should be in another thread)

Paul Hornung who said that ND should lower its admission standards to attract more black ballplayers.

Are these guys racists, or just dumb!!??? To this day, I can't decide.

 

[RI Domer]

How about when Steve Lyons was on 2nd base and took his pants off. Got to get in there somewhere. Maybe not the worst for us but put yourself in his shoes.

 

[stonebreakerwasgod]

LOL that was funny! Thank goodness we didn't see the package.

 

[notredomer23]

2 words: Bill Buckner, but for me that was good bein a yank

 

[stonebreakerwasgod]

There's not a whole lot from Boston that I like, and the Red Sox aint one of 'em. That was a great moment in the history of f... ups!

 

[IRISHDODGER]

You gotta consider Al Campanis as a front runner. In '87 on nightline, he proclaimed that blacks lacked the necessities to be managers or gm's in baseball.

OR> (perhaps this should be in another thread)

Paul Hornung who said that ND should lower its admission standards to attract more black ballplayers.

Are these guys racists, or just dumb!!??? To this day, I can't decide.

They just put their foots in their mouths. Campanis was instrumental in integrating baseball for blacks & latin americans. Even his colleagues of color defended him & they knew him best.

I think hornung's comments were out of frustration more than anything. he's seen his beloved team go from perennial NC contender to an also-ran which led him to his absent minded rant.

 

[IRISHDODGER]

There's not a whole lot from Boston that I like, and the Red Sox aint one of 'em. That was a great moment in the history of f... ups!

regardless of what I think about the BoSox (I'm indifferent), I've always been a Billy Buck fan. The guy had a HOF career & will always be remembered for his error that wasn't the only thing that led to that loss (not to mention there was still a Game 7 that the Sox coulda won). Ironically, Buckner was always known as a good defensive player until the end of his career when his ankles gave out. I think Joe Morgan, the MGR at the time, just wanted to get him in the late innings as a tribute to the vet. Poor guy caught a lot of shit for that play. And he never got the credit for introducing hightop cleats to baseball! Of course he needed them for his bum ankles, not for fashion.

 

[IRISHDODGER]

One word: ORENTHAL

 

[portlaNDgal]

The ones from ND football that come to mind:

(1) Keith Jackson's ridiculously partisan play by play during the 1988 USC game. Called an incomplete pass when Stan Smagala intercepted Rodney Peete, and insisted Tony Rice was out of bounds when he went back to pass in the endzone. Rice's foot is clearly on the edge of the red paint of the USC logo, with the back of the end zone at least 4 feet back.

(2) 1992 Notre Dame-Michigan. Notre Dame fought its way to a tie at the end of the game. During the post-game interview, John Dockery asked Lou something like "Why didn't you try to win the game?" Dockery wasn't a terrible sideline reporter, but I hated him after that.

 

[IRISHDODGER]

Here's a quick list of ones that come to mind:

The brawl between the Pistons & Pacers at the Palace
Rudy Tomjanovich getting sucker punched by Kermit Washington
Woody Hayes punching the kid from Clemson
Lou Holtz grabbing Hunter Bakich's facemask on national TV (just kidding...that was overblown & unfair to Holtz)
Roberto Alomar spitting in the face of the umpire.
Roseanne Barr making a mockery of our National Anthem before a Padres game.
Georgetown's Fred Brown mistakenly passing the ball to the Tar Heels which led to losing the NC
Sammy Sosa getting busted w/ a corked bat.
Leon Lett getting the ball knocked out of his hand by Steve Tasker when celebrating a sure TD too early.
Leon Lett's bonehead play vs. the Dolphins.
Dallas Cowboys' TE, Jackie Smith, dropping a sure TD pass from Staubach that would have won the Super Bowl vs. the Steelers. At least Smith made it to the HOF.

 

[IRISHDODGER]

The ones from ND football that come to mind:

(1) Keith Jackson's ridiculously partisan play by play during the 1988 USC game. Called an incomplete pass when Stan Smagala intercepted Rodney Peete, and insisted Tony Rice was out of bounds when he went back to pass in the endzone. Rice's foot is clearly on the edge of the red paint of the USC logo, with the back of the end zone at least 4 feet back.

(2) 1992 Notre Dame-Michigan. Notre Dame fought its way to a tie at the end of the game. During the post-game interview, John Dockery asked Lou something like "Why didn't you try to win the game?" Dockery wasn't a terrible sideline reporter, but I hated him after that.

You didn't hate Dockery as much as Holtz did. I'm sure Holtz had something to do w/ his replacement.

Keith Jackson is the worst anti-ND announcer. In addition to your USC example, he was worse when teamed w/ Frank Broyles on the ABC broadcasts of the late 70s/early 80s (ironically when Holtz was coaching Broyles Razorbacks). I can still get my dad to recount the obvious bias they spewed when ND was playing.

 

[stonebreakerwasgod]

One word: ORENTHAL

Ouch! I still remember living in L.A. and seeing the white bronco with OJ inside. I was wondering why he would be running away if he wasn't guilty?

 

[stonebreakerwasgod]

I'm starting to dislike Billy Packer. Every time there is a play that could be called either way. He opens his mouth and DEFINITIVELY states what occured...and then repeats himself. He did it before in the UNC Hansbrough beatdown. I'm all for opinions, but he acts like what he sees is the way it should be seen. Whatever Billy.

 

[portlaNDgal]

You didn't hate Dockery as much as Holtz did. I'm sure Holtz had something to do w/ his replacement.

I'm sure you're right. Lou's public persona is so incredibly friendly and humorous, and he couldn't hide his loathing for a second when he had to talk to Dockery.

 

[irishunclebill]

I'm starting to dislike Billy Packer. Every time there is a play that could be called either way. He opens his mouth and DEFINITIVELY states what occured...and then repeats himself. He did it before in the UNC Hansbrough beatdown. I'm all for opinions, but he acts like what he sees is the way it should be seen. Whatever Billy.

I've always disliked Packer. He has always been a horses ass. I love the way he was disagreeing with Clark Kellogg's analysis that Jeff Green walked on the last play against Vanderbilt by using the argument that even if it was a walk, you don't call that on the last play of the game. Yet 2 years ago when Allen Ray of Viilanova was called for a walk (that was much less obvious than Green's) on the last play of the game in the same round of the tournament, Packer went on and on about how it was definitely a walk, despite the fact that virtually no one agreed with him. The difference was that the Allen Ray call benefited one of Packer's beloved ACC teams, North Carolina, while Jeff Green's was against Vanderbilt. I will guarantee you that if Georgetown was playing UNC or any other ACC team, that Packer would be talking for the next week about how it was a walk that was not called that cost the ACC team the game. This is nothing new with Packer, no one else is ever right except him. Vitale might be obnoxious, but I would take an obnoxious guy like Dick over a self-righteous boorish ass like Packer any day.

 

[Freeman Ara]

I've always disliked Packer. He has always been a horses ass. I love the way he was disagreeing with Clark Kellogg's analysis that Jeff Green walked on the last play against Vanderbilt by using the argument that even if it was a walk, you don't call that on the last play of the game. Yet 2 years ago when Allen Ray of Viilanova was called for a walk (that was much less obvious than Green's) on the last play of the game in the same round of the tournament, Packer went on and on about how it was definitely a walk, despite the fact that virtually no one agreed with him. The difference was that the Allen Ray call benefited one of Packer's beloved ACC teams, North Carolina, while Jeff Green's was against Vanderbilt. I will guarantee you that if Georgetown was playing UNC or any other ACC team, that Packer would be talking for the next week about how it was a walk that was not called that cost the ACC team the game. This is nothing new with Packer, no one else is ever right except him. Vitale might be obnoxious, but I would take an obnoxious guy like Dick over a self-righteous boorish ass like Packer any day.

While I agree that Packer is a boob and that him arguing that walk was a joke. Packer might be ACC homer but he is so anti-carolina its a joke. When he said that Hansbrough was the toughest guy in college basketball tonight I about fell out of my chair. Packer is notorious for being pro-Duke and anti-UNC. He's a joke yet he gets every big game in the tourney so I have to listen to him everytime UNC makes a Final Four, which is alot.

 

[Freeman Ara]

Leon Lett getting the ball knocked out of his hand by Steve Tasker when celebrating a sure TD too early.

Not to nit pick but wasn't it Don Beebe that knocked the ball out? Anyway some more sports moment for the list.


Denver and Elway with "The Drive" against the Browns in AFC title game
Ernest Byner and "The Fumble" against Denver the following year.
Chris Webbers timeout in '93(Thank You Chris)
Ditka not getting Walter Payton a TD in Super Bowl XX.
90% of the ND football games televised during the Davieham era, yeah we won some but it was ugly football to watch.
Tim Krumrie injury in SB XXIII (?)
Lawrence Taylor hit on Joe Theisman, seriously think I might get physically ill everytime I see that hit.

Anyway these are just some of the few moments that I personally think are terrible moments in sports.

Want to see painful, this has to hurt.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=20qB1dXAM78

 

[irishunclebill]

I always keep hoping that CBS will wake up & kick Packer to the curb. What I can never understand is why Jim Nance, who I think is a great play by play guy and always very knowledgeable in every sport he covers, allows Packer to almost bully him every year. I keep thinking that one of these years Nance is going to call Packer out for his "I'm always right" commentary, but Nance never does. It's a real mystery to me because you would think Nance has to have a lot more clout than Packer at CBS, yet Packer is the only guy at CBS that Nance seems to defer to. I guess Packer must have some Rabbi high up the food chain at CBS. Anyway, even if Packer ever gets the boot, it looks like they are training Elmore to take his spot, and he is starting to sound more and more like Packer every year. Well, there is always the mute button.

 

[Freeman Ara]

I always keep hoping that CBS will wake up & kick Packer to the curb. What I can never understand is why Jim Nance, who I think is a great play by play guy and always very knowledgeable in every sport he covers, allows Packer to almost bully him every year. I keep thinking that one of these years Nance is going to call Packer out for his "I'm always right" commentary, but Nance never does. It's a real mystery to me because you would think Nance has to have a lot more clout than Packer at CBS, yet Packer is the only guy at CBS that Nance seems to defer to. I guess Packer must have some Rabbi high up the food chain at CBS. Anyway, even if Packer ever gets the boot, it looks like they are training Elmore to take his spot, and he is starting to sound more and more like Packer every year. Well, there is always the mute button.

The problem with Packer is that he has done every NCAA Championship game since like 68 or something crazy like that, can't remember where I heard that but I know its along time, so he is the Alpha and Omega as far as announcers go in CBS' mind I think. I would love to see Packer retire because anybody is a better alternative to Packer at this point. The sad thing is if he didn't come across as high and mighty "I know everything and what I say goes" then people would realize that he has alot of knowledge about the ins and outs of the game. I think people get put of by his attitude and demeanor.

 

[irishunclebill]

The problem with Packer is that he has done every NCAA Championship game since like 68 or something crazy like that, can't remember where I heard that but I know its along time, so he is the Alpha and Omega as far as announcers go in CBS' mind I think. I would love to see Packer retire because anybody is a better alternative to Packer at this point. The sad thing is if he didn't come across as high and mighty "I know everything and what I say goes" then people would realize that he has alot of knowledge about the ins and outs of the game. I think people get put of by his attitude and demeanor.

Right after I made that post at 1:45 AM, I had ESPN turned on with Majerus & Gottlieb blabbing. When I listened to and looked at those 2 bozos, I suddenly realized that it could be worse, much worse. I went to sleep an almost Billy Packer fan.

 

[stonebreakerwasgod]

I guess you would have to include the '72 olympics at Muchich to be a sports tv moment. Probably # 1 if you include it at all.

One that I'll never forget (huge Lakers fan) was when Magic had the press conference to announce his retirement due to HIV. I was sick for a month.

 

[RI Domer]

How about Hank Gathers Dying shooting freethrows. Or Reggie Lewis collapsing leading to his soon after death. Both on TV

 

[tommy]

here is a couple the little girl that got hit in the head by a puck at a hockey game on her birthday I think it was went home as if nothing was wrong and the father woke up and she was dead . owen heart falling out of the rafters and dale earnhardt

 

[stonebreakerwasgod]

That is horrible about the girl. I hate to see kids suffer.
I think those baseball players sitting in front of congress (most of them lying or evading the truth) was a sorry moment for them, and baseball.