BY: ZACH MCADOO
2020 was a very bad year for a lot of us. From the fires in Australia to the murder hornets to this small thing that I am not sure that you have heard of called Coronavirus this has been a year to leave behind and I for one am counting down to 2021. This list though is not about what happened outside the stadiums, but the many times I was hurt by the results of games (or league decisions). Note I am doing this in chronological order not by what hurt the most.
Bills- Meltdown Versus Texans
Yes I am considering this as 2020 and whatever playoff run we get for this season counts under 2021. This choke job really depressed me to start the year. I thought that we could get a win to end that drought, but Deshaun Watson and JJ Watt had other ideas. Buffalo ended up blowing a 16 point lead to lose 22-19 in OT and my night was ruined.
NCAA Tournament Cancelled
I am lumping a whole thing into this because I love watching as many games and seeing my bracket go bad within four games. The NCAA made the unfortunately right decision in cancelling the tournament to protect the student athletes, but not having the tournament just didn’t feel right. No buzzer beaters, no upsets, just the deafening silence in the arenas.
Sabres- Missing the Extended Playoffs
I am going to my grave saying that the Buffalo Sabres got screwed out of the playoffs this year. With two games less and three points out to Montreal (who Buffalo would have played next before the COVID cancellations) the NHL decided to play with 24 teams, which would extend the Sabres drought to nine seasons now.
Yankees- Mike Brosseau HR
I got my hopes up for this year with the New York Yankees. Coming off of the way 2019 ended and the signing of Gerritt Cole I thought the mini-drought would end. Then it came crashing down with injuries. They rebounded with enough wins to make the extended playoffs and would beat the Indians. The Rays were next and killed the Yankees in the regular season. The series wound up going to a game five and was tied at one going into the bottom of the eighth. Aroldis Chapman threw a pitch to Mike Brosseau and just like last year it was a home run. Chapman gave up a go-ahead home run for the second year in a row. This one was up there for the ones that hurt the most.
Kevin Harvick- Missing the final four by one point
Hands down the one that was the absolute worst for me. Kevin Harvick had one of the best seasons in NASCAR history only to be left out on the doorstep of the final four. By one point he missed it because of collusion and other screwy things in the NASCAR world. I have argued against the playoffs for years and this just furthered my argument for why NASCAR doesn’t need them, but that is another story for another day.
Florida Gators- Loss to LS-shoe
As a gator fan I knew that this would be a little tough to make the College Football Playoff, but at least give yourself the best opportunity. That was all thrown away, literally, thanks to Marco Wilson. You just stopped them on 3rd down and you think that throwing a shoe down field is good? Congrats you just cost Florida their opportunity to make the CFP. And then you have the complete beatdown by Oklahoma in the Cotton Bowl. It got so bad that I just turned off my tv and went to bed to save myself.
Buffalo Bulls Football- Ball State Buzzsaw
Yeah Nothing like a city of Buffalo let down. Entering the game 5-0 and 13 point favorites I thought that Buffalo could get the job done and get their first MAC title since 2008. That didn’t happen as Ball State contained Patterson and Marks to go on and get their revenge for the game from 2008.
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