The year 2016 has been a rough one. It was a year that watched the world mourn countless beloved celebrities, including certified icons such as David Bowie, Arnold Palmer, Muhammad Ali and Prince. It also featured many other troubling events and a seemingly endless stream of bad news.
But we’re here to talk sports. Even in the sports world, plenty of losses heartbreaking losses were doled out by this savage year. Before we can move on to a better and brighter 2017, let’s take time to remember the biggest Ls by 2016.
#5: State of Mizzou and SLU athletics
I’m still waiting for outgoing Gov. Jay Nixon to declare a state of emergency on behalf of the University of Missouri athletics. Mizzou football missed the bowl season for the second consecutive season after finishing just 4-8 under first-year coach Barry Odom. Of the four victories, three came against the likes of Eastern Michigan, Delaware State and Vanderbilt.
Mizzou basketball hasn’t fared much better finishing 10-21 in the 2015-16 season and off to a blazing 5-6 start this year. Saint Louis University has posted similar records of 11-21 and 4-8 respectively.
#4: The St. Louis Rams skip town
It’s been nearly one year since the St. Louis Rams organization packed its bags and went back west to Los Angeles. The departure was a heartbreaker to many fans, employees and local businesses, who supported the Rams for 20 years of mostly bad football.
Sure, there will always be fond memories of Kurt Warner, Marshall Faulk, Isaac Bruce, Torry Holt, Orlando Pace and The Greatest Show on Turf. However, even that team’s dominance was cut short by the glaring mismanagement coming out of the executive suites.
Once owner Stan Kroenke intercepted the team’s purchase from Shahid Khan (now the owner of the Jacksonville Jaguars), the team’s relocation fate was sealed. Recently-fired coach Jeff Fisher admitted that he knew of Kroenke’s plans to move the Rams back to Los Angeles when he signed on as the coach in 2012 – proving that both lied to fans and media for years.
#3: Bernard Hopkins takes flight
Former middleweight and light heavyweight champion Bernard Hopkins defied the odds as a world champion at age 49. Despite a bad loss to Sergey Kovalev in 2014, Hopkins decided to roll the dice once more for a farewell fight, just one month before his 52nd birthday. Joe Smith Jr. showed him why that was a terrible idea.
In the 8th round of a fairly competitive fight, Smith caught old man Hopkins with a vicious six-punch combo that literally sent Hopkins flying through the ropes, out the ring, directly onto his head on the ground below. Hopkins has 20 seconds to get back into the ring, but declined citing an injured ankle.
Hopkins repeatedly claimed that he was “shoved” out of the ring by his opponent, even though replays clearly showed that it was Smith’s left hand that sent Hopkins into orbit. Despite the first knockout loss of his career, Hopkins is a surefire first-round hall of famer. But with the vicious L, Father Time once again proved why he is undefeated.
#2: Warriors blow 3-1 NBA Finals lead
After an amazing run in 2014-15, culminating in a championship victory of the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Golden State Warriors upped the ante for the following season. Led by two-time MVP Steph Curry, the Warriors set a new NBA record with 73 wins in a single season. In the playoffs, they did the unthinkable and came back from a 3-1 deficit to beat the Oklahoma City Thunder to advance to the NBA Finals for the second consecutive season.
Armed with a commanding 3-1 advantage of its own, the Warriors imploded. LeBron James and Kyrie Irving snatched Curry’s cape and led one of the most impressive comebacks in sports history. While the win was phenomenal for the City of Cleveland, it was humiliating to Curry, the Warriors organization and the entire Bay Area.
#1: Cards miss postseason, Cubs win World Series
If there ever was a sign that 2016 was an abysmal year, look no further than the 2016 World Series Champions: the Chicago Cubs. Not only did the Cubs win its first championship since 1908, but the Cardinals helped them get there. The Cubs lifted Jason Heyward and John Lackey from the Cardinals via free agency. The moves weakened the Redbirds and played a part in the team missing the playoffs for the first time in six seasons.
Ironically, the Cubs took a page out of the Cleveland Cavaliers’ playbook and reversed a 3-1 deficit to earn the long-elusive championship. Even after losing two football teams in 20 years, St. Louis could at least always fall back on the Cardinals’ everlasting superiority over the baby bears. Sigh.
Luckily, the end of 2016 is almost near. It’s doubtful that we’ll all wake up to discover it was all one bad dream. However, I remain hopeful that 2017 will restore some of the hope lost by these events.
On the bright side, Hopkins is done with fighting and is somewhere sitting on a cozy rocking chair. SLU basketball has a new coach. Mizzou will likely have one at the end of the season. The Rams are now Los Angeles’ burden. The Warriors and Cavs appear to be on a crash course back to the Finals. Lastly, the Cardinals got payback in the form of signing Dexter Fowler away from the Cubs.
Hurry up 2017! We’ve been waiting for you.
Follow Ishmael and In the Clutch on Twitter @IshmaelSistrunk
