When people think of the year 2020, they think COVID, they think of the death of Kobe Bryant, they think of the Presidential Election that lasted almost a week, they think of the world being shut down for so long. What I think of it, I think of my own sports teams having championship ambitions only to falter when it really mattered. Having 4 different sports teams being favorites to their league championships going into the playoffs you might think I would get a championship or 2. But little would I know that this would be the beginning of a stretch of heartbreaking collapses.
Heartbreak 1 Ravens: Like the coronavirus these symptoms of misfortune start out slow yet evolve into unforgettable heartbreaks. Out of the disappointments that I suffered this is probably the most painful because this was the only one that I had to witness live. If you couldn’t tell I am a huge fan of the Baltimore Ravens, the reasoning is that I was born and raised 20 minutes outside of Charm City. They were the team that got me into sports when I was a kid, my favorite memory in my life was going to New Orleans in February of 2013 and watching them win their 2nd Super Bowl in one of the most bizarre games in NFL History. It had been 7 years since that title but the Ravens finally had a team that was as dominant as the 2012 team. During that magical 2019 regular season they went 14-2 including a 12 game win streak to end the year. They beat 6 different playoff teams during that streak and were carried by NFL MVP Lamar Jackson putting together the greatest season that a dual threat QB has ever had, the most dominating run game of all time, and a strong defense which is usual by Ravens standards. Entering the playoffs they were considered heavy favorites to reach the Super Bowl. The only concern was that RB Mark Ingram and TE Mark Andrews were injured in practice but didn’t look 100% at game time. Their opponent in the Divisional Round would be the Tennessee Titans, one of the hottest teams in the NFL in the 2nd Half led by NFL Rushing Champ Derrick Henry and Comeback Player of the Year Ryan Tannehill. Early in the game the Ravens offense put up yardage but the Titans stopped them by means of an interception and failed 4th down. Tennessee jumped out to a 14-0 lead but Baltimore cut the Titans lead to 14-6 at the half thanks to 2 field goals. In the 2nd Half the Ravens marched to the Titan 15 only to be stopped on 4th down yet again. Then the common theme of the night was occurring, the Ravens ran out of gas and King Henry XXII ran all over them becoming the first player to ever rush for 200 yards in a game against the Ravens in their 24+ year history. Just like their Divisional Round loss to Indianapolis in the 2006 playoffs, they lost the game without scoring a single touchdown. I said to myself despite going through a mental breakdown because of this game later that week and said “It won’t happen again with any of my teams.” But little did I know that this would only be getting worse.
Heartbreak 2 Flyers: When I moved to Pennsylvania in the Summer of 2019 I finally was able to get the chance of becoming a Hockey Fan since Baltimore or Milwaukee didn’t have an NHL team. The only reason that I am a Flyers fan is because that was the local team plus it had a great amount of players with talent and upside. Going into the 2019-20 season the Flyers were picked by many to be in the middle of the ultra competitive Metro Division in the Eastern Conference which had 3 of the previous 4 Stanley Cup Champions. After a mediocre start to the season, Philly would break out into their full potential, Claude Giroux and Jacob Voracek turned back the clock to 2015, Carter Hart became one of the best young goalies in the league, not to mention Sean Couturier Kevin Hayes and Travis Konecny had career years. Despite the COVID outbreak that put the season on hold they went into the playoffs winning 19 of their last 21 games and captured the Presidents Trophy as the best regular season team in hockey. In the 1st Round in the Toronto Bubble they were pushed to the limit by a young exciting team in the Canadiens but still managed to beat them in 6 thanks to the strong play from Hart despite the 1st Line struggling against Montreal’s speed and skill. Their next opponent was a Division Rival in the New York Islanders. Despite trailing 3-1 in a series that on paper was evenly matched the Flyers would go down swinging. In Game 5 they overcame a 2 goal deficit in the 3rd Period to win in overtime. Then in Game 6 they won in 2OT thanks to more outstanding play from Carter Hart and the ⅓ of the Bottom 6 scoring both of their goals in their 2-1 win. Unfortunately the Cinderella Story stuck Midnight in Game 7, they gave up 2 goals on their own Power Play and had no answers for Semyon Varlamov and the Isles 1-1-3 play style. The silver lining for this defeat was that Philly wasn’t supposed to go this far in the playoffs plus only their trade deadline acquisitions would be leaving in Free Agency. The good news for the Flyers was that despite the rough ending they are a few years ahead of schedule and in 2020-21 they will likely take the next step to being a legit Stanley Cup Contender.
Heartbreak 3 Bucks: Like the Ravens loss this one hurts pretty bad. Out of all of my teams this is the franchise that has been long suffering the most as of this year. When I lived in Milwaukee for 6 years the Bucks were the main reason I got into following the NBA. The first year that I lived there they were 15-67 which was the worst regular season in team history. By 2019 though they were back to being one of the most dominant teams in the league like they were in the 1970s, 1980s, and the Early 2000s. Despite blowing a 2-0 lead to the eventual champion Toronto Raptors (I was at Game 5 when the Refs robbed them of a 3-2 series lead and I would have gone to Game 7 if it had happened) they had plenty of promise. During the 2019-20 season they were once again loaded. Led by 2x MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo and former All Stars Khris Middleton, Eric Bledsoe, Brook Lopez, a strong bench, and reigning Coach of the Year Mike Budenholtzer the Bucks were the favorite by many to reach the NBA Finals for the first time since 1974. Despite the pandemic and going 4-4 in their remaining regular season games inside the Orlando Bubble. After losing Game 1 of the playoffs to the Magic they won 4 straight games even if they nearly boycotted Games 4 and 5 thanks to the Jacob Blake shootings in Kenosha WI, FYI he was a diehard Bucks fan. Entering their 2nd Round matchup against the Miami Heat many people considered that the Bucks would have no answers for perhaps the hottest team in the NBA since the start of the Bubble. They would be right however, despite an even series on paper the Bucks had no answers for Miami’s small ball attack in 5 games even if Giannis was injured in Game 4. The worst part about that series defeat was that they blew late game leads of over 10 points in each of their losses. Many people thought afterwards that this would be the last time that the Greek Freak would ever suit up in a Bucks uniform. Thankfully for my sake he signed the biggest contract in NBA History to stay in Milwaukee for the next 5 years. You might think that these types of disappointments are finally ending right, but like the luck of 2020 it would get even crazier.
Heartbreak 4 Cubs: When a person has 1 team that is the favorites to win their leagues title they have to be snakebitten. I just happened to have 4 in 9 MONTHS! But this one stings because it may have been their last chance at a championship push with their current core. My favorite team in the MLB is the Chicago Cubs because I have members of my grandparents family on my moms side who have been huge Cub fans for their whole lifes. One of my favorite memories, if not my favorite memory of the Cubs, was when they overcame a 3-1 deficit to the Cleveland Indians in the 2016 World Series and won their 1st Championship in 108 years. I didn’t go to Game 7 because it was in Cleveland but I did go to the World Series Parade that Friday in Downtown Chicago. Entering the 2020 season which only would be 60 games thanks to I Corona the Cubs were at a crossroads. Their manager who won them the World Series in 2016 Joe Maddon left for Anaheim to manage the LA Angels. In his place was a key member of that Championship Team in David Ross, if there’s one thing that I like about this hire was that he would bring the spark to the pitching staff. Even if most of the core like Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo, Javier Baez, and Willson Contreras were still hanging around the Cubs knew that theri window was soon about to close. During that 60 game season they turned the clock back to 2016. They had the 3nd best record in all of the NL with a 34-26 record despite a slump after a 22-4 start. They were considered heavy favorites in their Wild Card Round matchup against a Marlins team that had not made the playoffs since 2003. But just like in the Steve Bartman game in that NLCS Miami one upped Dem Cubbies AGAIN! Chicago only scored 1 run in 2 games against a white hot Marlins rotation. The worst part is that they wasted outstanding performances from Yu Darvish and Kyle Hendricks in those games. Do you want to know the worst part of that series? THAT MAY HAVE BEEN THEIR LAST CHANCE! Because Theo Epstein stepped down as VP of Baseball Operations, and Yu Darvish was traded to San Diego plus not to mention Bryant, Rizzo, and Baez might also be considered for removal. What a shame.
Aftermath: The worst part about all of these collapses is that I had 4 teams that were the favorites to win the Championship in their respective leagues yet neither of them made it past the 2nd Round of the Playoffs. That Meme has never gotten old for me this year. But thank goodness 2021 is about to begin, and here are the positives I could have this year: The Ravens look like a team that no one wants to face in the 2020 NFL Playoffs and has a legit chance at another Super Bowl, the Bucks have themselves an All Star caliber Big 3 thanks to their acquisition of Jrue Holiday and have a much more talented team, the Flyers are a Stanley Cup Contender that is only getting stronger if everyone is healthy, and the Cubs might have one more great ride in them at a chance for another World Series before they need to rebuild. This may have been a rough year for me but at least the future is bright. All I can say is Ravens please don’t lose to the Bengals and miss the playoffs. Charm City Beasts is on the way with that story. Enjoy your New Year at last, and God Bless all of you!
Bragging Rights Sports 