On Sunday the biggest race in the Indy Racing season (oxymoron?) ended in an epic last-minute collapse. JR Hildebrand came into turn 4 of the Indianapolis 500 with no one between him and the immortality of victory. But then he slammed into the turn 4 wall like a total moron.
Yes, it was a dope move by a rookie, but as I cruised through ESPN.com I saw the question asked is this “The greatest choke in sports history?”
Was it a slow sports day over at the ESPN campus? Did the brain trust of ESPN go out for an extended liquid lunch? I don’t even care if the result of the article was that is wasn’t. How can anyone with half a brain even ask that question with a straight face?!
I get that he had a big lead. I get that he SHOULD have won. I get that the final lap ended with a shocking result. But that’s not a choke. That’s sports.
This of it this way:
- Detroit Pistons vs. Boston Celtics : Up 107 – 106 with the ball, did anyone expect Isiah Thomas to turn the ball over and cause his team to lose in the 1987 Conference Finals? Nope, but it happened
- NY Knicks vs. Indiana Pacers: Up 6 points with just under 19 second did anyone see the Knicks losing? Nope! But then Reggie Miller goes crazy and scores 8 points in the blink of an eye.
- Foreman v. Ali: Getting pummeled round after round by the bigger, stronger Foreman. Who would have expected Ali was playing possum the whole time and would put George on his back to take the victory?
- Buffalo Bills v. Houston Oilers: Down 32 points with a backup QB did even the most loyal homer think the Bills would come back to win in that 1993 playoff game. It happened though.
You see, that’s sports. That’s not a choke.
It’s not like Dan Wheldon was coasting in neutral cheering JR on. He was flying at 210 MPH trying to track that punk down.
Let’s do a simple game Choke vs. Not-a-Choke.
Example 1: A choke is if you are Jean Van de Velde on the final hole (THE FINAL HOLE!) of the 1999 British Open just needing to keep the ball in play, make a double bogey and lift the jug in victory. But instead you insist on hitting your driver into who knows where. Then ignore the smart play 2 or 3 more times en route to a triple bogey and eventually losing the championship. Not-A-Choke is Greg Norman at the 1996 Masters. Yes he went into the final day with a 6-stroke lead and blew it by shooting a 78, but that’s golf. Nick Faldo, the champion that year, shot a 67. That would have meant Normal would have needed to put up a an even par 72 to have won. Achievable? Certainly. But such an inevitability that would eliminate all future competition? No sir.
Example 2: A choke is when you are the Michigan Wolverines and are a super-charged hype machine in the NCAA National Championship game…1992 (don’t get ahead of me here). 1992 big blue faced the Duke Blue Devil’s only to puke up a measly 1 3-pointer all game. They were demolished 71 – 51 in a total choke. Not-A Choke is when you are the Michigan Wolverines and are a super-charged hype machine in the NCAA National Championship game…1993. Specifically Chris Webber. In an attempt to do everything he could to win the game he called a misguided timeout resulting in a technical foul. That’s not a choke…that’s just trying a little too hard and losing focus.
So what’s the point? I guess there are two points, really.
1. JR Hildebrand, just like Greg Normal, Isaiah Thomas, Dan O’Brien, Chris Webber, and so on failed on a massive stage. But his failure was just trying too hard. That’s not a choke.
2. The media still sucks. Just because the Indy 500 crash happen YESTERDAY the moron media wants to name it the biggest choke EVER! Come on guys, really? I don’t care if the kid forgot which direction he was driving and turned around backwards and finished in dead last. It still wouldn’t be the biggest EVER. I’ve been over this before… The Greatest of All Time Flu (aka GoatFlu) needs to be stopped. http://sergeant-says.blogspot.com/2010/12/goat-flu.html
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