Ranking the Best Picture Winners that I've Seen, Pt. 2: #21 - #1

21.) The Silence of the Lambs (1991)

I get it. I realize this is seen as an all time classic. I realize that Jodie Foster, and of course Anthony Hopkins were brilliant. But at the end of the day, I just don't get why this is seen as some unimpeachable classic of the medium. It's a wonderfully good, provoking movie, but there's just a lot of best picture winners that I like a lot more. 

20.) Parasite (2019)

I get it. I realize this was seen as a modern classic. But, and this might be seen as a hot take: I truly wonder if the exact same movie was made but featuring a poor American family weaseling their way into a rich American family, and it was in English - would it have won Best Picture? Maybe it does. The plot itself, the duality of who the parasite is?, the wittyness, was all excellent. I just think the English version of Parasite loses Best Picture to Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is all - granted if Once Upon A Time won, it would rank lower on the list.

19.) Spotlight (2015)

I get that some people would've wanted Mad Max, a brilliantly entertaining action film, to win, but I just love that Spotlight did win. Of course its topical and a truly fully intentional view into the darkness of the Catholic Priest scandal, but more than that it was maybe one of the top to bottom best acted ensemble movies I've ever seen. It made being a journalist look fun, and more importantly, staggeringly important. Yes, a deep dive into investigative journalism was never going to be full of memorable scene-stealing moments, but Spotlight came about as close as you can get.

18.) Argo (2012)

At the moment I was a bit surprised that Argo won over Lincoln or 12 Years a Slave, but in retrospect it makes sense. Yes, there's a common cliche of Hollywood loving nothing better than a movie about making movies, but I want to credit Argo for being a really well written and acted movie - with a great deal of drama. Yes, they absolutely butchered reality to make that plot work, but it did work. Yes, they should've been more fair to the fact Argo was largely a Canada-run operation, but as a movie itself, it worked amazingly well. The cast was great, the performances were great - even small roles like Bryan Cranston and Kyle Chandler as random feds, were excellent. Well done all around.

17.) Unforgiven (1992)

I was surprised to learn when trawling Best Picture lists that Unforgiven beat out A Few Good Men, a far more memorable and lasting film, but when I did sit down and just watch Unforgiven, I totally get it. A western that turns its head on the cowboy hero, giving a deep introspective look at the darkness and soullessness of it all. Clint Eastwood was probably never more introspective and raw than this in his late career. Hackman and Freeman were excellent as well. It looked great, the acting better, and the movie was about as good as a I could have imagined.

16.) Moonlight (2016)

Of course, the movie almost didn't win, but Moonlight losing to La La Land would have been a disgrace - La La Land would've been probably in the 30s for me. The story is raw, the acting was phenomenal - especially underrated was the scenes with the younger versions of Chiron. Mahershala Ali was incredible. It was poignant, it was shining a light on so many untold stories all at once. Yes it was depressing and sad and dour, but the story necessitated it, and earned it 100%/

14.) The Departed (2006)

Yes, this was far from Scorsese's best movie. Yes, the rat at the end scurrying was on the nose. Yes, god knows what accent Nicholson was doing. But aside from Nicholson's accent, the movie, let's be honest, is phenomenal. Dicaprio and Damon were both outstanding. Wahlberg gave to me his best performance. Sheen was great. The plot was great (even if it was a remake of a foreign movie), with teh dueling rats trying to outfox each other. The plot device of the therapist worked. It all worked. Take away a few Scorsese trappings that outstayed their welcome (Gimme Shelter, again?) and this may have been higher up.

15.) One Battle After Another (2025)

It's hard to rank a movie I just saw this year, a deserving winner and thankfully one that gives PTA a long overdue set of Oscars. That all said, I struggle to think where this will be remembered decades from now. If anything, it shares some similarities with The Departed - Leo at the top, some great supporting characters and performances, and a legendary director winning for what is probably not his best movie. Still though, PTA layers so much tension, so much heart, and underratedly so, so many laughs in this romp. Leo is brilliant (super underrated performance given he ended having no real shot at Best Actor for some reason), as is Sean Penn, Benicio, Chase and really everybody. Some of the thematic aspects were a bit strained, but overall this was a modern masterpiece.

13.) No Country for Old Men (2007)

While probably being my 3rd favorite Coen Brothers movie (Fargo and Lebowski higher up for me), there is no doubt No Country for Old Men was a breathtaking movie. The exactness of the shot, the direction, the still imagery. The painstakingly brilliant methodical performance that was Anton Cigurh. I don't know if Brolin was ever better either. It was cool to see the Coens return to their Blood Simple type roots and just make the hell out of a thriller, but do it with such perfecting flair. In many ways, little about it was Coen-esque at all, other than it being spectacular.

12.) Titanic (1997) 

It's easy to make fun of Titanic, or more pointedly make fun of James Cameron for him being so damn full of himself, and certainly his attitude has not done him any favors. But Cameron promised the world a spectacle of never before seen proportions and by God did he deliver. Spectacle was Titanic and it was every bit of it. It helped that Dicaprio and Winslet had perfect chemistry and were captivating, but what I think is truly underrated about the movie was how great the scenes were from the iceberg hit to the end. It was a tremendous action/disaster movie that was worthy of oscars from that part itself. Yeah, maybe it didn't deserve all of the 14 or so oscars it got, but it is easily a landmark movie.

11.) On The Waterfront (1954)

This wasn't intentional, but the Top-9 are all from 1984 or earlier. Not to say movies these days aren't great, but anyway. On The Waterfront was Brando at his best with great performances all around. Brando though is the real draw, and he was incredibly engrossing in the movie. The plot itself was such a perfect little slice of life mob film, something that set the stage for so much - Mean Streets and to some degree Goodfellas being structured similarly - going for the small moments

10.) My Fair Lady (1964)

The music is great, Hepburn and Harrison were incredible together. If the only real knock against it is the singing was dubbed and not Hepburn, then you know you are absolutely grasping for straws. It is unreal that somehow that cost her a best actress nod. The plot itself is great even if the music was average, but the music is spectacular as well. Musicals were just better back in the day, from teh passion to the music itself, to the plot and how it weaves. Yes, it was probably a bit too long, but for a staged musical, this was pretty perfect. Only one comparies...

9.) West Wide Story (1961)

Speaking of which.... my highest rated musical is such because (1) the music itself is amazing, with maybe the best collection of songs of any musical and (2) the set direction and staging was basically as good as Chicago all thsoe years later. The choreography. The performances themselves. All of it was fantastic. West Side Story to me is the best musical (stage and film) the US ever produced and I'm glad it got a great view of it in even the 60s. As a quick aside, Spielberg's revival of it in 2019 was super underrated, and if he had just cast a better lead other than Ansel Elgort, I really think it could've been a sneak Best Picture winner.

8.) One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)

To me, this is my version of The Silence of the Lambs - an old beloved psychological thriller that I am absolutely in love with. Nicholson was brilliant. Of course, I have a soft spot for DeVito's incredible character. The movie itself was well ploted, brilliantly directed and just captivating. It was an underrated funny movie, and underrated gloriously sad movie. It is just an underrated masterpiece over all. The true hidden star that makes it sing though is Louise Fletcher as Nurse Ratched, who plays it so perfect as a villain despite in all reality her being the sympathetic figure. It really challenged you in a way few movies did at the time. Just a great one.

7.) The Deer Hunter (1978)

I still think I would tab Apocalypse Now as the better war movie, but The Deer Hunter was the best war movie to not be about the war - it was about the people. The quick cut from the fun, joy and vibes of the wedding to them coming back to the steel town having endured hell was jarring and massively effective. The acting lineup is outrageous, with all of De Niro, Streep, Cazale, and most significantly, Walker putting up career type performances. Yes, you can criticize the film for their portrayal of the Vietnamese, but to me the movie isn't really as much about them. It's about four young bright-eyed kids getting beaten down the eventual death that is so poignant and lasting.

6.) Schindler's List (1993)

I don't why I avoided watchign Schindler's List for so long. Certainly, it wasn't an intentional choice to avoid it. But when I finally sat down to watch it a few years back, I expected to be in tears, in rage (at the Nazi's) and just harrowed. Some of that was true, but beneath it all lies an incredible watchable, entertaining movie - from the various scenes of Schindler slowly turning, or the scenes at the camp. I don't think there is a better movie at depicting the War from the actual holocaust angle. Spielberg poured his heart and soul into this one, and it came away with one of truly the greatest movies of all time, both in its story and painstaking detail, but also as a movie-making feat (not to mention a black-and-white film being so captivating). Of course, as a complete aside, still insane he put out Jurassic Park the same year.

5.) Oppenheimer (2023)

I debated for a while how high to rank this, but I have to be true to my truth, which is that I found Oppenheimer one of the stunning achievements in movie making history. Somehow Nolan too this story and turned it into a heist movie, a war movie, a courtroom drama, and so much more. Yes, the performances were brilliant across the board - Murphy clearly, but a great Damon performance, a great Downey performance, and hell even a great Gary Oldman performance in his one scene. Nolan made the story of physicists winning the war to some degree into such a taut, breathtaking movie - I don't know if any movie aside my choice at #1 has made three hours fly by more. I fully admit if this was a more objective view of filmmaking, it probably is too high, but this isn't that. This is meant to be a somewhat subjective ranking of films, and for that purpose Oppenheimer to me is the premier Best Picture winner of the 21st Century so far.

4.) Casablanca (1942)

I'll admit, I'm giving it a bit of extra credit for being a movie that came out in nineteen-forty-fucking-two, but Casablanca is eminently perfect. Bogart and Bergman were about as great a couple on screen as any ever, just captivating in every single scene. The plot itself is thin when you look at it from 2020 goggles. But really, let's just remember that a fully rewatchable masterpiece came out in a year that is closer to the end of the Civil War than it is to today. The setting, the incredible tone it sets from the start, all of it just jumps off the screen - as much today as it did 83 effing years ago.

3.) The Godfather, Pt. 2 (1974)

A masterpiece that if it was maybe 20 minutes shorter (making it similar to the original's run time) would likely be #2. Spoiler alert, the original is my #1. For part two, Pacino was just masterful, as were Cazale (just a phenomenal actor) and it gave a showcase for De Niro. Honestly, if anything I wish the De Niro / Young Vito scenes were longer and more plentiful. Yes, watching Pacino turn himself fully into a monster bit by agonizing bit is mesmerizing, but so was watching Vito turn into the don similarly bit by bit. There's nothing new to say about this, or the original. I already was told by basically the world these are two of the best movies ever, then watched part 2 for the first time I think in 2012, and somehow it beat my expectations.

2.) Amadeus (1984)

Period dramas became a bit of a thing in teh 80s. Most were forgettable. Amadeus, the fake story of contempt, jealousy, adoration and youth, was not. I remember the first time I encountered the movie was in a gift shop at Mozart's house in Vienna on our Orchestra tour. I was astounded to realize it won best picture. I watched it maybe a year or two later and got it instantly. The dynamism of Hucle and Abraham was just incredible. The competing dualities of so many of the pairs, from of course Mozart and Salieri, to Mozart and his Dad (and underrated storyline), to Mozart's wife and Mozart himself. All of it worked in front of resplendent sets, costumes, music, scenes. The movie just flies along from the opening beats of Mozart's music, to each guffawing laugh of Mozart himself, to every snide remark perfectly delivered by F. Murray Abraham. Just a perfect film.

1.) The Godfather (1972)

It's still the best single movie I've ever seen (quick aside - had Goodfellas rightfully beaten out Dances With Wolves and won best picture, it probably ranks #2 for me on this list). It sets it tone basically in that first line of "I believe in America" delivered in that stilted way in a dark room. Everything from that point on, including to me the best opening of any movie ever (the wedding that perfectly introduces every character with theri motivations, their beliefs, all in full display) and then proceeds to be as good throughout. The dynamics of the family worked perfectly, with one amazing performance after another. The Godfather set a level for film that honestly may never be topped.

Ranking the Best Picture Winners that I've Seen, Pt. 1: #42 - #22

42.) Crash (2005)

I've actually never seen any of the other nominees that year, but even I know this was an awful pick. Crash was the type of movie that the 14-year old me who saw it in theaters would've thought was deep, but was actually so damn surface level. I'm sure there are worse Best Picture winners that I've never seen, but out of the ones I have, there's a huge gap between this and the next.

Snubbed: Brokeback Mountain (granted, I've never seen it, but enough people are convinced)

41.) Ordinary People (1980)

I guess the acting was good, and the subject was a pointed look at a taboo subject (teen suicide) at the time, much like the best picture winner the year before was on divorce. But in reality, this movie just never really captured me, and the fact it won over Raging Bull is just a disgrace. This isn't the worst movie to beat out a Scorsese film for best picture. But this is the type of movie that the Oscars gave too much love to over the years.

Snubbed: Raging Bull (a crazy decision made worse over time)

40.) American Beauty (1999)

My view on this movie got a lot lower over time, and not only because this was Spacey the creep acting creepy. Anyway, this was another pointed look at a small issue, much like the Ordinary People of its day. At the end of the day, either The Green Mile or The Sixth Sense would've have been better chjoices (granted, if it was The Sixth Sense, I don't know how much higher it would've been).

Snubbed: The Insider (I don't talk about it above because I hadn't seen it when I first wrote this, but The Insider is awesome, so much better than American Beauty it is laugh-inducing)

39.) Forrest Gump (1994)

I think over the years the backlash against Forrest Gump has been largely either misplaced or mixed up. I think Tom Hanks very much deserved that Best Actor oscar for lifting up a paper thin, ridiculous movie and making it watchable. The plot, the silliness, the surfaceness, it was just slightly more viable than Crash was all those years later. But let's not drag Tom Hanks down.

Snubbed: Pulp Fiction (yeah, we all know...)

38.) The Sound of Music (1965)

This is not an anti-musical pick - I have a bunch of the other musicals that have won best picture higher up the list. What I've come to realize after watching it a couple times is how little of the movie actually featured music and how overly drawn out the plot was of the actual story. It's wholly made up, and even worse than that really it was trying to tell a redemptive WWII story without focusing on any Jewish characters. The best songs are great, but everything else is overrated. Admittedly, I haven't seen any of the other movies from that year.

37.) The King's Speech (2010)

Fine story, fine acting, spotlighting a somehow undertold and not well known story about the Royals. All of that is true. Still a bit surprised this won best picture. From here on out, I would say these are all good movies, all worthy of watching, if not outright rewatchable, but still a bit shocked it won. Maybe it's because I've seen a bunch of the 2010 nominees, but I would've gone for Black Swan, The Fighter, The Social Network, Inception or Toy Story 3 over this one.

Snubbed: The Social Network (given Fincher still doesn't have an Oscar and is now mostly doing NETFLIX movies, this may be a legacy-defining snub)

36.) An American in Paris (1951)

I love these types of movies, am a huge fan of Gene Kelly, and found myself totally engrossed in every bit of that 20-minute dance sequence to end it. Call this a protest drop of a few spots because I'm still retroactively annoyed the superior Gene Kelly flick, Singing in teh Rain, wasn't just not named best picture in 1952, but not even nominated. That's blasphemy.

Snubbed: A Streetcar Named Desire (honestly shocking A Streetcar wasn't picked, and probably then opens the door for Singing in teh Rain the next year)

35.) Slumdog Millionaire (2008)

At the time, I was excited that this movie won Best Picture. Over time, my emotions are more mixed as I don't know how to think about how they represent India, the slums, and everything else. What I do know is it was a well acted, stunningly well shot, and quite fun movie at the end of the day. The song, the dancing, the moments - it was a soft entry to many into Bollywood, and a worthy winner given the other candidates that year.

34.) The Sting (1973)

Was it a bit too silly? Yes. Was the big reveal a bit too choreographed? Maybe. But was it superbly well acted, well scripted and an incredibly good time? Yes, 100%. I have not yet seen American Graffiti, but The Sting deserves its place for pairing up Butch & Sundance one more time in a very different movie and still making it about as well made and entertaining as you would want.

33.) Gladiator (2000)

Was it a bit too over the top? Yes. Was it a bit too masculine? Maybe. But was it superbly well shot, acted and an incredibly good time? Yes, yes it was. Russell Crowe and Joaquin Phoenix were on one in this film. Honestly, I think Traffic was better (I'm a Soderberg-stan in general) but even then Gladiator was a more than fine film achievement. Spectacle matters, as we'll get too in more serious detail in The Titanic section.

Snubbed: Traffic (again, this isn't a huge snub, but was also probably Soderbergh's best chance to win Best Picture)

32.) Gigi (1958)

It was a small movie in terms of plot, but was just so sweetly made, and in a weird way really progressive for its time, with the titular Gigi fighting to be something more than a courtesan which all expected her to be. Not going to say its some #FemaleEmpowerment film, but it comes close for its day. I was somewhat surprised to learn it won all nine oscars it was  nominated for, but it was excellently made and looked stunning and had great music - for both it won most of its oscars.

31.) Platoon (1986)

I'm not a huge War Movie guy (admittedly, I have a war movie much higher up the list) but few movies actually showed the real, in the moment, front-lines cruelty of the Vietnam War with more raw honesty than Platoon. Yes, watching it in 2010s eyes it was a bit tough to look at Charlie Sheen as a dramatic actor, but he was good and the rest of the cast excellent. The direction and action was amazing. It was probably a bit too dour for my liking to be higher up, but it was an excellent movie.

30.) In the Heat of the Night (1967)

It's a beautiful bit of brilliance that both this and Guess Who's Coming to Dinner? was nominated for best picture in the same year. Both feature Sidney Poitier cast as a black man in a white world, and had the movie lean 100% into that angle. It was risky, it was defiant, it was brilliant. The mystery storyline itself was a bit weak (though mystery plots in the 1960s were rarely all too deep), but the audacity of it all, and the brilliance of Poitier himself, makes it all work well.

29.) Rain Man (1988)

Oh yes, this was a great one. Honestly, after a couple watches, I think Tom Cruise is the better performance here. Was Dustin Hoffman did was very raw and portrayed with great intention, but in terms of the tougher role, us not absolutely despising the Cruise character is a testament to how effective at being smarmy and likeable he was in his co-leading man days (see A Few Good Men also). The plot is also better written and more intricate than I remembered after first viewing.

28.) Kramer vs. Kramer (1979)

This is the highest ranking movie where I'm fully against it winning - in this case it should've been Apocalypse Now. Anyway, Kramer vs. Kramer itself is a testament to great acting, and man was it great. Sure, on its face just watching Dustin Hoffman and Meryl Streep act out a couple breaking apart, not through infidelity but just through natural separation, was worth the price of admission, but it really was. I don't know still if I've seen a better look at divorce than this one, and having it played out by two of the all time greats just make it all the better.

Snubbed: Apocalypse Now (just a ludicrous decision, and I think Kramer v Kramer is a brilliant film. But come on now, to pass on arguably the greatest War Movie ever made...)

27.) The Apartment (1960)

It's amazing looking back just how many romantic comedies used to win best picture. I guess a much higher percentage of movies back in the day were in that camp, but anyway while I think The Apartment is a tad overrated, it's that it is truly excellent vs. incredible. Jack Lemmon and Shirley Maclaine were both excellent, especially Lemmon is so perfectly playing the down-on-his-luck climber. The plot itself was quite risque for its time and definitely humorous. In the end, it is a fantastic movie that has become a bit of a touchstone as being one of the best old classic hollywood movies, which I jsut think is not true.

26.) Birdman (2014)

Sure, the big takeaway was the one-er of it all, but even outside of that, I thought this was just a very good movie with some excellent performances, from Keaton to Norton to the understated star of it all to me in Emma Stone. Even some of the lesser roles in the ensemble were just perfectly acted. Add in the direction, which probably is overrated but still commendable, and you get an excellent winner that I actually find a bit underrated historically by this point. To me, it is one of the better winners of the 2010s.

25.) Chicago (2002)

I thold you I like musicals. Chicago was interesting because of how just out there Baz Luhrman was. Unlike most musicals that just make the songs part of the dialogue and the scenes, the idea to make most of the songs their own weird, atlernate fantasy dimension set pieces, was just brilliant. The showmanship of all the songs, especially my favorite in Cell Block Tango, was all great. The story itself was probably a bit thin, but the production of it all was the closest I've ever seen to watching a stage musical on the big screen.

24.) Anora (2024)

It's kind of crazy this won Best Picture, in a year where there wer at least other reasonable candidates. This weird little small story of a sex worker taken on a ride of her life by being given some exposure to the real world was played so real and somehow also so funny. Those scenes of Mike Madison's character yelling with various Russian henchmen was never not fun. The movie was improved for the fact that there was never really any risk that Anora was in. Sean Baker is not a filmmaker I knew a lot about before this, but when I watched Anora back in the January preceding the Oscars I was so damn entertained, and more so just happy when it got its plaudits. There's been a lot of 'how did that happen?' wins recently (many of which I haven't seen, like Shape of Water or CODA) but Anora will at least the version of that type that I did watch and absolutely loved.

23) Everything Everywhere All At Once (2022)

Some have already said that EEAAO being such an Oscars juggernaut will not age well. For me, I saw it on a plane having heard a bit about it, and loved it the second I watched it. I had a dream it could win Best Picture. I saw a decent amount of the nominees this year, and I was overjoyed when it one. It was the closest thing to many of the TV shows I've often ranked #1 on my yearly lists: it was just the best piece of movie-making, the most entertaining and thought provoking one of the past year. The comedy, the questions it asked, all of it combined to something incredible.

22.) The French Connection (1971)

Is it weird to say taht this is ranked 22nd (and realistically everything from here on out are absolute classics) and if anything I'm sad it isn't higher. Like, the French Connection had all the ingredients of a top-10 type movie - a commanding lead performance by a Titan in teh field (Hackman), some great supporting roles and that blending of classic Noir with new Hollywood. I'm shocked it preceded things like The Godfather, or Chinatown. But ultimately, it was just a bit too "old" in some ways to go any higher and a bit too slow at times. Still, Hackman was easily worth the price of admission on this one.

Snubbed: A Clockwork Orange (only noting this because Kubrick somehow never won an Oscar. I don't think Clockwork was his best film, but easily could've won)

On Bam's 83

I remember where I was when Kobe got his 81-point game. I was in Freshman Year of High School when Kobe got his 81-points. It happened very soon after he got 62 points in three quarters and sat the fourth quarter. I still remember if was the talk all over school (granted, I hung out with a lot of sports loving kids). It was special, it was unthinkable. There hadn't been a 70-point game in a while, and only a few 60-point games. Granted, teams played slower (the Seven Seconds or Less Suns would look plodding by 2025-26 pace standards), but still seeing 81 seemed like a superhero movie.

I remember where I was when I found out Bam got his 83. Now, this isn't some crazy thing to say since it was three days ago, but I this was doing my Game of Thrones rewatch, I hadn't checked my phone or internet in a bit, and I just reloaded ESPN.com, and there it was with the "Breaking News" banner that Bam Adebayo scored 83 points. I couldn't believe it, and then I saw that the Heat scored 150, and it came against the tanking Wizards, and then I checked my phone and saw teh GroupMe group that was talking all about it and talking about how Miami fouled up by 20 to get more possessions, that the Wizards were triple teaming Bam, and that he shot 43 free throws. With all of that, it went from a "can't" believe it to a "don't want" to believe it.

Three days later, I'm still not a fan of it, but to be honest I think my issues are way more about the difference of 20-years of the NBA, of pace, of so many threes and free throws, of the death of the midrange and of different ways to play, of the complete unabashed-ness of the way teams tank these days, and all of those things coming together in this ridiculous way. This isn't about Bam - he was having an otherworldly game long before the tomfoolery began. This is about the issues in the NBA.

Well, it's also about the Heat fouling up by 20 to get more possessions. Out of all the madness of that game, that was the most mad, the most insane, the most patently unprofessional and unprecedented. I'm surprised the Wizards didn't throw hands, or at least complain loudly post game - maybe their lack of response has to do with the fact that the Wizards stopped trying weeks ago. I mean, when a player dunks late in a game when their team is up, the offended party cries about sportsmanship and all that. This was way worse. This was ludicrous. Take it to its final extent and truly every team can get their top player to any given score if they're willing to intentionally foul their opponent even when winning by twenty.

You know what's the more telling number in that game's box score to me, even more so than the 83? It was the 150 that the Heat scored, and how that didn't seem out of place. Hell, in 2006 if a team scored 150 in a game, taht itself might have gotten a "Breaking News" banner on ESPN.com, regardless of how many points the leading scorer had. We've become numb to scores of 130+ at this point, and even a 150 is just a "wow" instead of a "this is the most insane thing in years." Teams score a lot because the game is fast, sure, but also because teams shoot 40 threes a game, sure, but also because in the regular season most teams defensive efforts are super inconsistent, and of course tons of teams are tanking.

The tanking is reaching its apex (or nadir, depending on perspective) this year with a good third of the league doing it. The Wizards are one of those - trading for Trae Young because they can sit him, playing no names. Yes, in terms of pure logic and reason, it makes sense with the current draft rules, but it still saps the league of energy for so many fanbases, and makes scores like 140, 150 or more possible. 

Then there's the free throws. Now, I will say that Bam earned all of them - this was foul hunting, it was trying to foul bait. Bam was getting hit hard, and hit stupidly (how the Wizards fouled so many times when they were triple teaming him at times....), but still seeing anyone shoot 43 free throws in a game is just maddening.

There is a certain detached, robotic, soul-less-ness around the NBA at times (mostly just a regular season concern). This feeling of moral superiority because the league has all collectively agreed to play roughly the same way and jack up threes and what not. It undoubtedly works, but it also creates for these types of moments that should be celebrated but are met a bit skeptically. Some of that is a hallowed Kobe moment being topped and the Kobe-stans going off, but behind that noise there is a lot of truth.

The worst part is that if not for the Heat's absolute, unabashed craziness of fouling up twenty to get more possessions, of having non-Bam players intentionally miss free throws in hopes of getting offensive rebounds, this may have truly been as much a moment to celebrate. The Heat didn't gamify their way to Bam's 31 points in teh first half, or 63 through three quarters (notably, one more than that Bryant game in 2006 against Dallas). The madness started when Bam had like 75, and if he ends with 77 or something, this is celebrated to no end, even if that 77 is due to all the maddening NBA factors that I noted above. Instead, the Heat decided to bastardize it to where it needs to be commented upon and, sadly, scorned a bit. The worst part is the league won't learn, and if anything what they may learn is taht you can gamify your way to scary point totals. Someone is coming for 100 - it just may take the fouling to begin in the second quarter for that one.

20 Memories for 20 Years of Madness

With March Madness starting next year, in maybe the year that I've thought about college basketball less than ever before, and the year where there seem to be four dominant teams to a level we've rarely had. I've written a decent amount about March Madness over the years, including multiple nostalgia diary entries. Many of my historical look backs were about 2005, which is now 21 years ago (I'm old), a year that contains what I still think was the best single tournament ever. But, from 2006 to 2025 gives us 20 years (but nineteen tournaments... more to come there) where I want to look back. When I say look back, I don't necessarily mean specific games, or specific facts, but just random moments from watching March over the years.

2006

= This was the first time I did a bracket, being my freshman year of High School, where I guess some things were suddenly OK to do. I still remember I picked UCONN - not a crazy pick, with them being a #1 seed and them being generally considered one of the favorites, and then proceeded to watch them nearly lose three times (including one of the more shockingly close 1-16 games) before finally losing to George Mason. I learned early the heartburn a bracket would cause.

2007

= This is one of the few that will be about a single game, and it was Tennessee's dramatic near upset but ultimately loss to #1 seed Ohio State in teh Sweet 16. I was something of a Tennessee fan back in high school, known for wearing a Tennessee hat (I liked orange... and Peyton Manning) and watching that Tennessee team under Bruce Pearl, led by the shooting monster that was Chris Lofton, I was certain they would pull the upset. I picked it in my bracket. I told everyone within earshot in school that day the upset was coming. Then Tennessee nearly did it - they led by 15 at the half, but Ohio State was really damn good, ripped my heart out, made me eat a ton of crow, and then looking back that single pick cost me the main bracket pool I was in.

2008

= I wrote about this one in the weird coincidence that the final where Kansas beat Memphis in one of the great Title Games of all time was my 17th Birthday (April 7, 2008), the day I got my license. I spent most of that day just driving aroudn with a giant smile plastered on my face. I spent most of that night the same watching Kansas win in truly dramatic fashion. One of the better gifts of the day was watching Calipari lose and Self win (though will admit right now I would over the years fully come around on Calipari).

2009

= I wrote about this one in an aerly nostalgia diaries piece about an MUN conference taking place Sweet 16 weekend where we were all playing mafia as a group at the same time Villanova was blasting Duke whole, adn then on the bus back when Villanova upset Pittsburgh. This was peak "Duke sucks" time in our respective lives, as most youngsters get around the time they are about to leave for college. It was made more promiment by my good friend who was the MUN president, and Salutorian of our school somehow not getting into Duke, which just added to the fun. This four year period was by far the best for a Duke hater, with them going S16 - 1R - 2R - S16.

2010

= I was never really a fan of Gus Johnson and his "let's yell all the time and every moment is the most dramatic of all time" shtick - and yes it is very much shtick in my mind. But there was one exception, and that was giddily listening to Gus Johnson giddily calling the incredible 101-96 Kansas State win over Xavier in double OT. Just hearing Johnson go wild, for the first time for all the right reasons, calling out the big shot after big shot by Jacob Pullen, Dennis Clemente (two all time boss college players) on Kansas State, being answered by big shot after big shot by Jordan Crawford and Terrell Holloway. It was everything you ever want for Gus - only problem is he calls blowouts similarly enough.

2011

= My only real memory of this one is being one of the loudest voices in my friends group getting annoyed at the staggering level of upsets in the 2011 tournament, which saw no #1 or #2 seed make the final four, and #3 UCONN, led by Kemba Walker. I was loud because I was trying to argue that this was one too many upsets. Yes, part of it was by then I was annoyed that Kansas lost again (I was fully in BIll Self being criticized = Peyton Manning being criticized), but I was proven loudly, loudly right with one of the most unwatchable finals with UCONN slobfest win over Butler.

2012

= tbd

2013

= I was in India for most of this tournament, during my Round the World trip. My only real memory is trying to stay awake to watch Kansas play Michigan (this was peak sports illegal streaming where you need to find the real "x" to close every two minutes). I was able to find something of a realistic stream and then fell asleep super early. In the end, was probably so, so lucky that I did when Kansas blew a late lead (or more realistically, Michigan just hit big shot after big shot) in a OT classic loss to Michigan. I don't think Kansas would've won the tournament, but Michigan did go to the final....

2014

= This was the first year I was able to do something of a rite of passage, I guess, which is go watch March Moundadness at a bar. At this point we were well into the CBS/Turner days where all games were on TV. I was 23, my friends were all 21+, and we just went on the Saturday of Round 1 and watched game after game after game. To be honest, I don't remember any specific games we watched, but I remember where we were: Buffalo Wild Wings, where else!?

2015

= So, in 2013, I wrote about a time I fell asleep trying to stay up to watch a game from a foreign country a few time zones away. Well, here was a more successful example. The 2015 season was the story of that dominant, Freshman heavy Kentucky team (the KAT year) going undefeated into the Final Four. I was in Italy with family the weekend of the Final Four, adn remember somewhat following on my phone at dinner, realizing when we got back to our hotel at probably near midnight, that Kentucky was in a dogfight against Wisconsin. We had our flight back the US the next morning, but no way I was going to not watch history potentially. The wifi wasn't great, and streaming wasn't too much better in the two intervening years, but powered through it and saw one of the great spectacles.

2016

= Very few of these have photos, because most don't need one - but this is a story of a photo. Was watching in my basement, on my favorite chair, late night in the first round and realized the above scores. That is March Madness brilliance in a nutshell. The game I'm watching a three point game with a minute to go in the 11-6 game. At the top we have another 63-66 game, a 66-65 game with three minutes to go, and a game that just ended at 79-74 in the 12-5 matchup. That is March. That is why we do it. None of the eight teams in the picture was higher than a #5 seed, but yet there was magic on television.

2017

= My strongest friend group (highschool) has a GroupMe group chat going that's been going since I think around 2014. Around 2016 or so we realized you can change your name in GroupMe, which has led to roughly 2,000 inside jokes since. For whatever reason the 2017 tournament inspired many. One was for Chris Chiozza, who's driving crazy layup gave Florida a shocking win. Another was for the amazingly named Sindarious Thornwell, who led South Carolina to a dominant 88-81 win over Duke in the 2nd round (yeah, we were still a fuck Duke group), but the capper was probably for Luke Maye, who hit the game winner to knock off Kentucky (back then when we were also a fuck Kentucky / Calipari group). Of course, funny that I changed my own name to a Maye pun then and nearly a decade later would learn to hate that family.

2018

= I wrote about this one at the time, but this was the first tournament at my new job, where a group of us went out for drinks on teh Friday Night after work (and drinks at the WeWork). We were already fairly buzzed when we reached a random sports bar to settle in for a few hours. Syracuse has a lot of alums in New York, so understanbly all the main screens showed that. A little screen in the corner was showing #1 overall seed Virginia against UMBC. It was close all first half which was a bit surprising, but not like impossible. Then came the second half, and UMBC just wouldn't go away. Then they took the lead. Then it got to under 10 minutes with them leading, and Syracuse winning by enough the bar was coerced into putting UMBC on the main screen. And then we saw something unprecedented in a group of lubricated folks ready to see something unprecedented. There are few other games I was more happy to be around a ton of random March Madness fans than this one.

2019

= And now a more personal story of watching a game inebriated. We have a Purdue alum and a truly fanatical Purdue basketball fan in our friend group, who luckily went to Purdue as Matt Painter was started and has lived through their, relatively pseaking, glory years ever since. Up until 2019 they ran into some cahllenge, but in 2019 they made the Elite Eight against Virginia, so a couple friends and I decided to watch the game at his house, and while the game itself was amazing, it was a crushing Purdue loss, including them losing after they couldn't get a missed free thrwo by Virginai with about eight seconds to go when up by two. More than anything though, it was amazing watching our relatively not fanatical sports fan friend (other than tennis) watch our Purdue fan friend increasingly lose his mind, screaming at perceived bad calls, getting angry at bad shots and then get depressed to hell. For me, it was cathartic live evidence I wasn't the only one who acts that way.

2020

= So, as many will remember there was no tournament in 2020, as March Madness was the first real casualty in the sports calendar of Covid. We're nearing the anniversary of the announcement that the tournament would get cancelled, which is still just a surreal moment. That was really the moment that many in the US, at least those that were sports fans, realized just how damn serious Covid was. It was roughly the same time Rudy Gobert tested positive and thereafter the NBA and NHL soon shut their seasons down. Losing March Madness seems unreal, but such a present, everpresent really, memory.

2021

= This tournament was still imapcted by Covid, as while there were limited fans, all of the games were in Indianapolis, but more interestingly, they crunched the schedule slightly. As someone who suffers the Sunday Blues more than most, the fact that the weekends set of games would also end on Sunday, and at least that second weekend slightly earlier than the other days, was always a sore spot. Well, this year the first two rounds started on Friday and ended on Monday, and the next two started on Saturday and ended on Tuesday, and for whatever reason I learned to love this wacky schedule. It livened up Mondays and Tuesdays - generally dead days in the tournament. It made Sunday the middle of the weekend instead of the end. Not sure I would want this most years, and definitely don't want the reason why this was needed, but I didn't mind it one bit.

2022

= I've talked a couple times about watching games in bars, but I've rarely watched any games in my favorite local bar - Winberies in Princeton. There was one notable exception though, which happened this year watching the Final Four game between Duke and UNC, which was one of the strangest games in that rivalry. For one thing, this was Coach K's last season, so could be last game. UNC was a #8 seed coached hilariously by Hubert Davis. But somehow we had this in the final four. The game was great, the bar got into it way more than I expected, and in the end we all got to say goodbye to Coach K in style, with a particular Duke hater buying a roudn of shots for like 20 people (us included).

2023

= I mentioned my friend who is a giant Purdue fan earlier, and for those with good memories they will remember 2023 the year where Purdue got a #1 seed behind player of the year Zack Edey, but then lost to FDU in the second 1-16 matchup. The first round a couple of us planned to drive down to DC where he was also visiting our friend Nikhil in his new apartment for the weekend. The Purdue friend got there first and was watching while we were driving down, with Purdue's whole loss taking place on our drive, with us facetiming them often and watching him got progressively more inebriated. Of course, when we arrived we drowned us all in his sorrows some more, went out for a bit and then got back to the DC friend's apartment around 1:30am, with him very, very drunk. In the end we had to care for him a bit, collectively we downed most of a fiarly expensive bottle of scotch, and then the kicker was we were supposed to meet his new girlfriend the next day for brunch, a brunch we were all somewhat hungover for, and the Purdue fan way hungover. That girlfriend is now his wife.

2024

= For years we've had an office March Madness pool. Hilariously the Partner / Head of the US office won teh first year (he gave the money back to us to do a happy hour in the office). Somehow, I won the second year because I felt bad that Virginia lost as the #1 seed in 2018 and picked them to win the title in 2019. I was the only one who did in the pool, and despite picking no other final four teams correctly, In 2024 there was the same similarities of feeling bad for the team that was the #1 seed that lost the #16 the year before, that was still very good returning mostly the same team and got the #1 seed again. Granted, I wasn't stupid - UCONN was a monster, so I picked them to win, but Purdue to make the final, and viola! I guess what I'm saying is I have a foolproof strategy for any year following a year with a 1-16 upset.

2025

= I was in Toronto for the Thursday and Friday of the first round, supposed to fly back home Friday evening, but there was a storm adn the flight was delayed five hours and instaed of doing that I decided to just fly back Saturday morning. So instead, I schlepped up to Vaughan to the Moose and Firkin and much to my surprise, other than the one TV showing hockey, every other one showed March Madness. It was a delight watching Canadians delight in this random very American-specific sports endeavor, and more than anything that is the real story of these stories, the collective brilliance watching this tournament together. Here's to 2026 and adding another memory.

Re-Post: The Deepest Cuts, 2.0

18.) Super Bowl XXXVII

This game wasn't close at all (it was 34-3 at one point), but there are two reasons why it makes this list. First, the Raiders made it a game scoring three straight TDs. They went for two and missed each time, making it 34-21 (it could have been 34-27 had they gotten all three). Down 13 with about seven minutes to go with the ball it wasn't inconceivable that they could finish the incredible comeback, but Gannon threw pick's #4 and #5. The other reason is I was young, I didn't understand how good that Buccaneers team was, and I was so ready to celebrate the Raiders winning after they were robbed the previous season (that game is a little higher up the list). The 2002 Raiders were the first team that I followed earnestly all season. I can still list the scores of each of their games. I can still remember the key players, the key moments, and it ended in abject disaster.

* - I promise that I started writing this piece before I heard Tim Brown's accusation that Bill Calahan sabotaged the Super Bowl to stick it to Al Davis and give a good one to his friend Jon Gruden. This doesn't make me change my view on the game at all. That Buccaneers team was better anyway. I don't buy the allegations. Why would Bill Callahan decide to wait until the Super Bowl to sabotage the team. If anything, his run-heavy 1st Half against the Jets in the divisional round was more of a sabotage maneuver. 

17.) 2025 World Series Game 7

It's weird because this is only one of two on this list purely because of hatred of the winning team, and not fandom of the losing team. The other one is far higher up and truly one of the most painful nights of my sports life. This was close, if only heightened because of how special it was. Had the Dodgers not been the winning team in that game, a team taht can outspend everyone, has assembled a team of mercenaries (for all the talk of how great their farm system is, it's odd how few of those guys they develop....), and the Blue Jays were so damn likable. The Blue Jays were also amazing in the series, responding to that 18-inning game loss in Game 3 by dominating Game 4-5 in Los Angeles. But you just knew the Dodgers would come back. And of course the wrost part of it all was the missed opportunities - the missed chances to expand a 3-0 lead early. Of course the inches away moment of Kiner-Falefa getting gunned down on teh plate, or that Vladdy flyball on 3-0 to 408 feet instead of the 411 feet wall. And of course that it was Miguel Rojas of all people who tied it for the Dodgers. The Dodgers of course responded to nearly losing by signing Edwin Diaz and Kyle Tucker and being as ridiculous as always. The world deserved a Blue Jays win, but at least we were treated to one of the best games of all time.

16.) 2007 Divisional Playoffs

This is a strange game. On one hand, even if the Colts won they would have had no real shot to win in New England the next week. The Colts had no pass rush without Dwight Freeney and with a hobbling Robert Mathis. That said, I really wanted the Colts to get another shot at the Patriots in that year. I wanted to see Manning take on the Patriots one more time. I wanted that playoff rematch. On the other hand, the loss was so unexpected and brutal. The Colts should have beaten the Chargers in the regular season despite missing seven players that would play in the divisional game and Manning throwing six interceptions, and they should have won this game. Manning hit his first 14 throws, and driving near the red zone up 7-0, he hit Marvin Harrison (playing his first game since Week 10) and Marvin fumbled. The Colts let the Chargers complete a 3rd and 14 and a 3rd and 11 in the 1st half. The Colts, down 21-17, drove down inside the 10, and Manning throws a screen pass to Kenton Keith, and Keith just bats it up in the air and it lands perfectly in the hands of Eric Weddle for a fluke interception. Then, Billy Volek completes two third downs to lead a game winning drive. Of course, despite throwing for 400 yards and having both INTs first hit the hands of Colts players, Peyton was blamed. Just a stunning and terrible loss for what was a great team. After the game ended I couldn't even speak. Over time, I've cooled off about the game. All that was foregone was Manning's playoff record being 10-11 instead of 9-11 (as if that would have stopped the Manning haters), because there was no way they were beating the Patriots without a pass rush. Time has healed that wound, but it was a gashing wound right after the game ended.

15.) Super Bowl 41.5

Oddly, I feel worst about this game than the one above which was the playoff loss that season. This is the only regular season game to make the list (though the Week 10 loss in New England in 2010 came close). Just to recap, the Colts entered the game 7-0, winning their last two games by a combined 60-14 (both on the road), and were the defending champs who had beaten New England in the last three meetings. Despite all of this, they were the underdog (by five points) to the 8-0 Patriots. The Patriots entered that game looking superhuman, but I thought the Colts could make them look human, and they most certainly did. The Colts defense played better than I have ever seen it during the Dungy era, holding that Patriots offense to 7 first half points. Tom Brady entered the game with 2 INTs on the season, and the Colts doubled that total. The Colts were able to score on a 70-yard weaving run after a screen pass to Joe Addai right before the half to take a 13-7 lead into halftime, and opened up a 20-10 lead in the 4th quarter. It was all set for a great Colts win, a hammer to the Patriots undefeated season (and keeping alive the Colts run at perfection). Then Randy Moss finally got open deep, and Brady hit him. Three plays later, Brady hit Welker for a TD. Then, Peyton Manning, on 3rd down, threw a beautiful pass 30 yards downfield to Reggie Wayne, but Wayne dropped it. Had Wayne caught it, the Colts would have gotten at least a field goal, and there was a chance Wayne could have taken that for a TD. The Patriots scored another TD (set up by a deep pass to Stallworth), and the Colts couldn't comeback as Tony Ugoh was awful, letting pressure come to Manning on three straight plays. The Patriots escaped a wounded Colts team (no Harrison in that game), and kept their pefect season going. The Colts at least showed that the Patriots weren't untouchable, but I was so upset that they couldn't protect a 20-10 lead. They blew a chance at never allowing that perfect season to happen. They could have shoved the Patriots brilliance in their face. God dammit, I'm getting more upset now than I was then just by writing about it. What I've learned from going back over the last two games was that I am more thankful than ever that the 2007 Giants existed.

14.) 2023 ALCS Game 7

This is one of those that didn't hurt as much in the moment, but became more painful when I saw how easily the 2023 Rangers tossed aside the overmatched Diamondbacks in the World Series, and then even more painful the more it becomes pretty clear this was the last great ride for the Astros dynasty. Granted, it hurt a lot in the moment as well, but mostly because it was just incredible that the Astros would lose in this way for a second time. Only twice has a 7-game series had the road team win all seven games, and the Astros were the home team in both of them. The other incarnation of this is further up the list. The reason this was a bit lessened is because this game was over super quick. Heretofore amazing postseason starter Framber Valdez was rocked early and often. The Rangers led big by the second inning and made the rest of the series a fait accompli. Somehow, the Astros did it again, and by "it", again I mean lose all four home games in a playoff series. Making it worse was this came after the amazing Game 5 comeback and Altuve home run. The Astros were one OK performance from probably going back to back. I guess in the end, they didn't come close to deserving it in these last two games. I only have this because of what a missed opportunity it ended up being.

13.) 2017 Australian Open Final

In a way, it is weird this isn't higher up. My favorite all time tennis player resurrecting his career in this tournament, but then losing to the rival also resurrecting his career, a guy he normally owned, in a fairly harrowing way by blowing a up-a-break lead in the 5th set. That said, you can argue it is weird I even have this here at all, given I wrote a column called "The Acceptable Loss 3.0" after it, because truly it was just an amazing joy to watch Nadal perform at this level again. Heading into 2017 it was truly a question mark if he ever would again, and not only did he, but he won eight more majors. But honestly, I can't say I wasn't heartbroken, more that it happened at the Australian Open (and less so to Federer). Nadal at that point had only won the tournament once in 2009. He lost in the final in 2012 and 2014 - the 2012 loss in eerily similar circumstances (up a break in the 5th to Novak). He had tragic quarterfinal exits in 2010 and 2011 (injury). It was his house of horrors. It would continue being so after this, but even in 2017 this seemed like his golden opportunity, against his best rival no less (who at the time he was trailing 14-17 in slams), and he let it slip despite being in such a perfect position. Nadal had this mental hold over Federer, and if anything this match until those last five games reinforced it - Federer was better on the day, but here was Nadal after pounding that backhand and making enough plays, up 3-1 in the 5th set. But then Federer just turned a switch - one that basically carried him in the rivalry the rest of the way apart from their 2019 French Open encounter, and in the moment it really felt like Nadal lost his chance at a 2nd Aussie Open for good, same with his chance at overtaking Federer's career slam record. History will say neither claim is accurate, but both felt to be certain locks at the time.

12.) 2020 Divisional & Championship Game

I promise there aren't too many Brady-wins on this list. There is one to come, but anyway, this one was just a disaster. It was deep into the 2020-21 winter of Covid, where one couldn't really do anything. It was a mess of a NFL season, and the Bucs were a wild card team. The #1 and #2 seeds in the NFC were better teams in the Packers and Saints, with legendary QBs of near-Brady stature. The one thing they didn't have was a 2nd ring. All Brady has are rings. And somehow that motherfucker in Tampa beat both of them despite his combined numbers in those two games being: 38-69 for 479 yards, 5 TDs and 3 INTs. He won both of those, on the road (granted with no real fans). Of course, Brady's first time in the playoffs as a Wild Card ever, where he would have to play three road playoff games, he does so in stadiums without fans. The NFC Championship Game was the real horror show, as a 14-10 Bucs lead turned in 28-10 with some normal bullshit, adn then somehow they survived Brady throwing picks on three straight drives. The Packers should've made that Super Bowl (which also would've resulted in a way better game in teh Super Bowl). Rodgers deserved a second ring, at least a lot more than Brady deserving a seventh. A nightmare of two games, at one of the lowest points of Covid, was just a combination I couldn't really take.

11.) 2008 Wild Card

The 2008 Colts team wasn't a great team. They were flawed. They had no o-line or running game. They were in a tough conference and probably couldn't have made it to the Super Bowl, but damn did I want it. I still think (as I've detailed previously) that I have never followed a team with the passion I did for the 2008 Colts. They were such a fun team to watch, and they gave us fans a great ride from 3-4 to 12-4. And it all ended in one dramatic and stunning game. Much like the previous year, the Colts lost to the Chargers because of just pure bad luck. This time, the only thing I will remember is Mike Scifres becoming the GREATEST PUNTER EVER for a day, pinning the Colts three times inside the 10. I will remember Gijon Robinson forgetting the snap count on 3rd and 1 late allowing a free rusher to sack Manning before Manning had really any chance to look for a receiver. One yard there would have ended the game. The Chargers had no timeouts. The game was the Colts. It was another gritty win in a season full of them. A trip to Pittsburgh (where the Colts had already won in a memorable - for me at least - 24-20 win) awaited. The dream season would continue. But it was not to be. Peyton Manning never saw the ball in OT, helped by two bullshit calls on the Colts on 3rd down, and Antonio Gates fumbling around three Colts in OT but being able to recover it himself. The final hammer to my head was Darren Sproles, the little bitch that returned two kicks for TDs in the 2007 regular season Chargers win and a 55-yard screen pass TD in the 2007 playoffs loss, running for the game ending TD. I was not ready for the Colts dream to end right there. The hidden part of that loss was I should have seen it coming. It was stunning the Chargers were in the playoffs at all. The Chargers were 5-8 that season, three games behind the Broncos at 8-5. The Broncos crapped their way to an 0-3 end, but more perversely was the Chargers recovering an onside kick in their Week 15 win over the Chiefs to win that game. The Chargers should never have been in the playoffs that year, and the Colts would have killed that Broncos team. Screw the Chargers. Screw Philip Rivers' smug face, and Norv Turner's weird face. Screw Mike Scifres. And mostly, screw Gijon Robinson.

10.) 2018 Wimbledon Semifinals

Rafael Nadal made the Finals at Wimbledon five straight times he played it, from 2006-2011, winning in 2008 and 2010. Then Wimbledon became a horror show for half a decade for him. He lost in teh 2nd round in 2012 (Lukas Rosol), 1st round in 2013 (Steve Darcis), 2nd round in 2015 (Dustin Brown), and Round of 16 in 2014 (Nick Kyrgios), before missing the tournament alltogether. In 2017, despite him having a great year elsewhere, eh lost again in the Round of 16, this time 14-16 in the 5th set to Gilles Muller. This was an accursed place - and then 2018 came around and he played better. Nadal won an epic 5-setter against Juan Martin del Potro in the quarterfinal. He arrived in the semis against Djokovic, and it seemed quite clear Nadal would get his 3rd Wimbledon, especially after the final opponent was Kevin Anderson, who beat John Isner 26-24 in the 5th set. Djokovic himself hadn't won a slam in two years, a time beset with weird tiredness, mystics and strangeness. If anything, the fact that Nadal lost this one and to some degree revived Djokovic's career, makes it even worse. I don't know for sure if Nadal wins here if Djokovic stays in the doldrums even longer, however I do know looking back this was his best chance, easily, at a 3rd Wimbledon, and if he wins and the rest of the careers are teh same, it is 23-23 in slams. The match itself was incredible - I watched parts of it at work. The match was seemingly trending towards Nadal when after the fourth set which Nadal won, they reached their curfew and had to start the next day, which they did with teh roof closed for some reason (which was an advantage to Novak), Nadal had a couple break points, but ultimately lost 8-10 in teh fifth. I was distraught, so much so because it was an assurancy that he would beat Anderson. And of course, the idea that this turned Djokovic's career right around. Just a tragic moment as a Nadal fan, even if the match itself for a neutral (though are there any true neutrals when teh Big-3 played each other) was probably phenomenal. It wasn't to me.

9.) 2009 ECQF Game 7

This basically had all the elements of the previous game, except my team didn't go on to win the series (obviously, since it was Game 7), and it was even more stunning. The 2008-09 Devils were a very good team in a good but not great conference. They were the #2 seed, and I really thought they were good enough to win the Stanley Cup that year, but I would be remiss to note how nervous I was that entire series when the Devils drew the Hurricanes. The Hurricanes are the Patriots to the Devil's Colts, beating them in 2002 and 2006. Both those years, the Hurricanes were the better team, so it wasn't that bad. This time, the Devils were better. The beginning of the series wasn't too bad, but the real drama started in Game 4. Up 2-1 in the series, the Devils were down 0-3 in the game, but fought back to tie the game, but Jussi Jokinen, of the Hurricanes, scored with 0.2 seconds left in regulation. I kid you not. Amazingly, something similar happened that altered the 2006 series, as in Game 2 of that series (Devils down 0-1 in the series) Eric Staal scored with 3 seconds to go to tie the game, and the Hurricanes would win in OT. I should have known after Jussi Jokinen scored that goal that the series would go to shit, but Marty Brodeur was great in Game 5, a 1-0 win. The Devils failed to close out Game 6 in Carolina (losing 4-0), setting up Game 7. Any Game 7 is dramatic, but close ones are even worse. The Devils took leads of 1-0, 2-1 and 3-2, the last coming halfway through the third period behind a rocket shot by Brian Rolston. That lead held until under 2:00. At this point, I was about to die. The Devils were two minutes away from a date with the Capitals. They were about to break their cherry in winning a big game in the Prudential Center. It was all so close, but then lightning struck twice. With 80 seconds left, that bastard Jokinen scored to tie another game. The place went silent, I was gearing up for OT, which against the Hurricanes has never ended well for the Devils, but they spared me that heart attack when Erik Staal scored with 40 seconds left to finish the job. It was a quick execution, and I really wasn't sure what to do. It was unlike these football games that had moments throughout that portended the doom to come. This was going from elation to abject horror in 80 seconds, and there wasn't a Game 6. The season was over, a season that was a really positive one for a Devils fan. Just a killer.

8.) 2005 NLCS Game 5

Before I start, I should admit that the Astros ended up winning Game 6 and the series (of course, they lost the World Series in the closest sweep ever), but this game still makes the list. That David Fucking Eckstein. That little midge. Anyway, the memorable moment is Albert Pujols absolutely hammering a Brad Lidge hanging slider, giving the Cardinals a stunning 5-4 win, but the game was so much more. The series itself was great. The Astros took their 3-1 game advantage turning a ridiculous double play to end Game 4 with Cardinals on 1st and 3rd. They started game 5 but quickly fell behind 2-1, but then, in the bottom of the 6th inning, Lance Berkman hit a line-drive three-run home run into the Crawford Boxes. That brings us to the bottom of the 9th, with Brad Lidge on the mound, and David Eckstein batting. Brad Lidge was the Astros wild-card in 2004, when he struck out 157 batters in 4 innings (which is absurd). He was the full-time closer in 2005 and was basically as good, striking out 103 in 70 innings, with a 2.29 ERA. He quickly struck out the first two batters in the Top of the 9th. Everything was there for the Astros, everything was there for me, who had run through about two sets of fingernails by that point. The Minute Maid Park crowd was just in a frenzy (that place used to get really, really loud). The best closer in baseball at the time was up against David Eckstein, but Ecksten won, hitting his patented ground ball right by Adam Everett. It was a most Eckstien-like hit. Then, Brad Lidge walked Jim Edmonds, and now it was Pujols. Believe you me, the second Berkman hit his home run, I counted how many guys needed to reach base for Pujols to get another at bat. It shouldn't have happened, but it did, and the result seemed preordained. The place grew silent, as did I. Lidge kept the drama going by making Pujols look foolish on his first slider, but the next one he hung, and the best player in baseball didn't miss it at all. I don't think I have ever heard a place go from so loud to so quiet that quickly and drastically. I don't think I have ever been in a situation where I thought a game was over until it wasn't (other than the game at #1, or maybe the game coming right up). The aftermath of the game is strange, because the Astros was Game 6 6-2, and because the series was extended another game, my favorite player, Roy Oswalt, got to pitch a gem in Game 6 and win NLCS MVP, but the series had lasting effects. Brad Lidge wasn't the same, and he would be the losing pitcher in Game's 1 & 2 of the World Series (memorably giving up a walk-off home run to Scott Podsednik, a guy who didn't hit a home run all season). The pitching order was ruined, and finally, the Astros didn't get to celebrate at home.

7.) 2012 Divisional Playoffs

It is hard to rationally explain my thoughts about a game that just happened 9 days ago. I am still not prepared to accept that Peyton Manning's bad luck followed him to Denver. If I re-do this in a couple years it might be lower because I actually like the Ravens (Ed Reed is probably my favorite non-Colts or non-Peyton Manning player), and at least they had the decency to beat New England as well. That said, what a haunting way to lose. All year long, the Broncos d-backs have been great in man coverage. They played tight man coverage without being beat deep. Well, the odds caught up to them in force in that game, as Champ Bailey was beat deep often early. The Broncos had chances to take over that game, but their play and the refs didn't allow it. First was the awful DPI call on 3rd down two plays before the bomb TD to Torrey Smith when the Ravens were flat down 7-0. Then was the non-call DPI on Decker as he tipped the ball up for a pick-6. Then was the Matt Prater missed field goal (Manning has had horrible field goal luck throughout his playoff career), turning a potential 24-14 halftime lead into a tie as the defense shat the bed again. Then was the ultra-conservative call to take it to halftime with 35 seconds and all three timeouts. Then was the conservative nature of just running the ball to waste clock late. Finally, it all came full-circle with the worst defensive play I have ever seen. I will be haunted by the memory of Rahim Moore taking the world's worst angle to that bomb. I will be haunted by realizing that Moore wasn't going to make the play. I was haunted by the stunned silence of that Denver crowd. Add into it a nerve-wracking OT, when after the Ravens were backed up with a 3rd and 11 inside their ten the Broncos not being able to stop a throw to Pitta, or the dropped INT by Chris Harris. And finally the final, admittedly awful, pass by Manning. I felt a pit of dispair in that moment knowing that Manning gave some wood for the haters to use to pump up their fire against him. Sadly, this isn't even close to the worst loss I've had to suffer through. 

6.) 2019 World Series Game 6-7

Weirdly, I didn't really watch either of these two games. Game 6 coincided with teh kickoff of my first ever Consulting Project where I was the PM - it played in the background at a Raleigh steak house, but of course I was watchign it intently. Game 7 played out while I was flying to India, me following along by refreshing ESPN.com over and over again. Somehow, this fact didn't at all change the fact it is so damn painful. The 2019 Astros were a ludicrously good team. Their lineup went Springer-Altuve-Brantley-Bregman-Yordan-Tucker-Correa to start. They had Cy Young winning Verlander backed up by 300 strikeout Gerrit Cole and still-good Grienke. They won 108 games. They were dominant. Forget all of that though, after losing Game 1-2 at home, they dominated games 3-4-5 in Washington. It seemed pretty obvious they would win one of two games given (a) how good they were and (b) no series ever had the road team win every game. That just doesn't happen! Of course, 2025 me writing this knows the Astros did that exact feat again in 2023, but what really hurts is unlike in 2023, both of these two games were close. Not only close, the Astros led late in both games. They led 2-1 in the 5th inning of Game 6, with Verlander dealing, when he gave up back to back home runs to Adam Eaton and Juan Soto. More frustratingly, in Game 7, they led 2-0 in the seventh innning, when infamously Howie Kendrick's foul-pole home run gave the Nationals a lead they wouldn't relinquish. Game 7 is always "all hands on deck" but AJ Hinch stuck with Zack Greinke a bit too long, but more meaningfully, the Astros were incapable of scoring insurance runs. They dominated those first six innings, but just couldn't score a third or fourth run. 2nd inning they had 1st and 2nd no one out. 3rd inning they had 1st and 2nd one out. 4th inning they had 1st and 2nd two outs. 5th inning they had 1st and 3rd with two outs. They had chances, just couldn';t get the hit. Somehow also, following by refreshing ESPN.com made it worse. It was a long remaining eleven hours of the EWR-BOM flight when it was over - making it worse, not better. And the cherry on top, of course, was the cheating scandal getting broken a few weeks later - so while these were in a way the last untainted memories, they were shitty ones. The only reason it isn't higher is because had they won the World Series and then the cheating scandal breaks, I actually think players would've been penalized.

5.) Super Bowl LI

This one is obvious no? It was truly my worst case scenario nightmare being a Patriots / Brady hater - seeing them embarrassed for 40 minutes and then inch by inch come back and win a game they didn't deserve to win because the opponent crapped their pants staring a win in the face ten times. Truly, like if five separate things across a few drives don't happen, the Falcons win this game. The most notable being after the insane Julio Jones catch, the Falcons literally could've kneeled the ball three times, kicked a 48-yard field goal for a 31-20 lead and pretty much guaranteed them the win. But no, they threw it, committed holding penalties, and had to punt. Same with the Matt Ryan fumble, or of course the circus catch by Edelman. To take the Julio catch example, had they just ran in three times, kicked a field goal and won, I'm sure many publicly would've still annoyingly credited Brady's brilliance for even getting them to 28-20 (or 31-26 or whatever the final would've been in this scenario) but at least we would have him losing again, and I really liked that Falcons taem with their amazing orchestra of an offense. Some may be surprised that I don't have Super Bowl XLIX on this (the Malcom Butler interception game) and that's because I didn't really like the Seahawks. That was a lose-lose. This was not taht. This was just awful, made worse by me needing to wake up at 5am the next morning for a flight to freezing Toronto (at least a hidden victory was escaping to Canada where they had already moved onto hockey in the first good Leafs season in a decade). This was the game that probably also ended any GOAT debate for good (even if I'll go to my grave believing 18 > 12). What's funny is this collapse mirrored so much of the 2021 Divisional Game between the Rams and Bucs (where the Rams blew a 27-3 lead before utlimately winning) that it made me relive this nightmare again. I can admit Tom Brady is at worst the second or third best QB of all time, but he is by far the luckiest one and this was the prime example that will haunt me forever.

4.) 2013 NBA Finals Game 6

You would think the Spurs ballyhooed romp in the 2014 Finals would make the wound slightly less painful. You would be wrong. I was long a Spurs/Duncan fan, since probably their 2005 Title, or maybe it was when they tossed aside the Cavs in 2007 (back when I didn't like LeBron.... I was dumb...). Or maybe it was in 2008 when I rooted for them against Kobe (who I hated). But by 2010-11 season, when they decided that offense and passing was fun, and they would start basically inventing the modern NBA, I was hooked. In 2011, they ended up losing to Memphis in embarrassing fashion. In 2012, they were even better. People extoll the 2014 Finals Spurs and rightly so, but the 10-game run to start the 2012 playoffs was even better, and then the Thunder just ran them off the court athletically. Well, in 2013 they avenged the Grizzlies loss and played by far the best Heat team of the LeBron era. They won close in Game 1 in Miami. They embarrassed the Spurs in Game 3 and 5 in San Antonio (granted, the Heat beat them easily in Game 4). They led Game 6. Not only led, they basically won it. I remember watching that game with friends at one friends place. I was the resident Spurs fan / Pop & Timmy glazer and was ecstatic. None of us were really Heat fans, but a couple LeBron fans. I can still remember that sequence to end the game. Spurs hit one of two free throws to go up 5 instaed of 6. Heat miss a three, get the rebound and then hit the three. Then the Spurs again hit one of two free throws (the misses were Kawhi and Ginobili - two stone cold playoff killers), and then of course, Duncan was subbed out for some reason and again the Heat miss a three, get the offensive rebound (Bosh - who Duncan presumably would've been on) and Allen hits the three. Despite OT being close, and Game 7 being really close, it was over the second Allen hit that shot. I rallied some fake contentness to write my first ever "The Acceptable Loss" column (done twice more after that - the 2015 Clippers beating the Spurs, and the 2017 Aussie Open Final) but looking back that wasn't true at all. This wasa the greatest non-NFL gut punch. This led to the darkest of summers. Yes, many will say it led to the Spurs laying waste to the world in 2013-14 and really inventing modern basketball culminating with the greatest three straight games ever played with Games 3-5 of the 2014 Finals, but none of that matters. Hell, my #8 was a loss in a series my team would still win. None of this is supposed to make sense.

3.) Super Bowl XLIV - Saints 31 vs. Colts 17

Losing a Super Bowl hurts, but oddly this one didn't hurt too much that day. The game itself was closer than the score, but it is hard to really say the Colts deserved to win. The Colts played conservatively (running the ball three times after their goal-line stand late in the 1st half). The Colts decided that letting 50-year old Matt Stover kick a 51 yard field goal was a good idea (it wasn't). They dropped passes, broke badly in routes, turned it over, and couldn't even force the Saints into a 3rd down in the second half. No, what really makes this one hurt so much is its lasting effect. There have been worse Colts losses in terms of how I felt after the game and the following few days (including all the ones on this list, as well as maybe the 2004 Divisional Game because of how embarrassing it was), but other than the one to come, none are so awful to remember looking back. I have mostly come to terms with losing to San Diego, or being Mike Scifred, but I still haven't come to terms with Pierre Garcon dropping a 30-yard gain on 3rd down up 10-3. I still haven't come to terms with Dwight Freeney hobbling through the game because of him falling awkwardly on Mark Sanchez late in the AFC Championship Game. I still haven't come to terms with the fact that Hank Baskett felt it necessary to use his face to recover that onside kick (most awful, insane coincidence: Hank Baskett once recovered his own team's surprise onside kick with the Eagles in their close loss to the then 10-0 Patriots in 2007). I haven't come to terms with the opportunity cost of losing. Had the Colts won that game Peyton Manning would never have to hear shit again. Had the Colts won that game, Peyton Manning would have all the numbers but have his 2nd ring, beating a good QB in a tough game. Had the Colts won that game, I could have written my "The Beatification" column that I planned to write after Manning won his 2nd Super Bowl. It would have all been worth it, the years of losing early, the years of being kicked in the nads by the Pats, the years of the scorn and ridicule, because Manning would have that 2nd Ring. And although this one might be hard to prove, I believe it earnestly, that had the Colts won that game, Peyton Manning would still be a Colt today. I loved the 2009 season, the Colts chase at perfection, that fun Saints team, the Favre renaissance, the Pats getting embarrassed by Baltimore, but it had to end in the toughest way possible. Screw You, Hank Baskett.


2.) 2005 Divisional Playoffs - Steelers 21 @ Colts 18

And despite everything I just wrote about Super Bowl XLIV, this one was worse after the game, and still worse now. The 2005 Colts team was absolutely the best team in the NFL that year. They just picked the worst possible time to have their worst game in a performance absolutely no one anticipated. So many things went wrong with that game. For once, the whole "The Colts resting their starters makes them rusty" logic actually was spot on, and the Colts were asleep for the first 15 minutes, as Ben Roethlisberger came out flinging the Steelers to a 14-0 lead at the end of the 1st Half. The Colts woke up finally near the end of the half but their long 9-minute drive fizzled out near the 5-yard line ending in a field goal. The Colts were even worse in the 3rd quarter as the Steelers added another TD. It was 21-3 entering the 4th Quarter, the RCA Dome was silent, and every Colts fan thought that they were living out their worst nightmare. The Patriots were already eliminated in the 2005 Playoffs. Everything was there for us Colts fans, as all that was between the Colts and the Super Bowl was a team they had beaten 26-7 six weeks earlier, and the Broncos, who the Colts beat 90-34 in the 2003 & 2004 playoffs. But none of that mattered when it was 21-3, but then the team finally woke up when Peyton Manning waved off the punt team late in the 3rd Quarter, completed the first down and started what could have been the greatest 4th Quarter Comeback in playoff history. We all know how it ended, with Peyton Manning down 21-18 getting the ball near his 20, but his great o-line let free rushers in on two straight snaps and they turned it over on downs. It was amazing to see the Steelers defense just befuddle Manning and the lineman. It wasn't like they were blitzing five or six guys. Most of the time ti was just four, but the Colts couldn't decipher it. And that's how the great season ended... I wish. But God had to jerk us all around by having Jerome Bettis fumble, have Nick Harper scoop up the ball, and have him running with just Ben Roethlisberger and some fat linemem between him and the end zone. I still remember where I was when this happened. I was in the basement, and I couldn't believe what I saw. I ran upstairs to where my parents were watching the game, and yelled "Can You Believe What Just Happened!!!" At that moment, there was not one bit of me that thought the Colts weren't going to score at least a FG there, and probably a TD. But Bryant McFadden (an unkown rookie at the time) perfectly defended a near TD to Reggie Wayne, setting up a game-tying 46-yard Field Goal opportunity for the most accurate kicker in NFL History. At that time, I didn't know how unclutch Mike Vanderjagt was, but the second the ball left his foot on a path nowhere near the upright, I knew. I still remember what happened next, with CBS cutting to four different reactions to the missed field goal. It was Peyton Manning, Tony Dungy, Bill Cowher and Jerome Bettis all saying "He Missed It", in highly different ways. Bettis was relieved, Cowher was jubilant, Dungy was understanding, and Manning was fucking angry. Of course, I said the same thing, and I was crushed. That was the best Colts team I have ever seen, and they should have won the Super Bowl that year. They didn't because Nick Harper's wife stabbed him in the knee, because their o-line seemingly didn't know what a zone blitz was, and because Mike Vanderjagt is an idiot kicker.


1.) 2001 Divisional Playoffs - Raiders 13 @ Patriots 16 

This will probably never be topped. It is hard to come up with a more perfect heartbreak. Fist, put a person at an age where they truly don't understand the volatile life of a football fan, add to that where that person is following a sport earnestly for the first time and his favorite team happens to be good, but the person is naive and doesn't understand the pain that comes with losing. Then add a beautiful, haunting setting like say a picturesque blizzard in Foxboro. And then, finally, add a referee's call, a call so infamous that it's rule that the call is based off of is arguably the most infamous rule in the NFL. Add it all up and the sum is my worst personal sports loss. The reason I hate the Patriots isn't so much Brady and BB beating the Colts from 2003-2004, or their continued success and the arrogance that came with it, but because those guys won their first ring because the referees robbed my team. My team won that game. My team from California went to New England, played in a blizzard and outplayed the Patriots for 58 minutes. They were up 13-3 entering the 4th quarter, but their pass rush went dry and their running game went away (they had a 2nd and 3 the drive before the Tuck and couldn't get the one first down they needed). But even after Brady's running TD to make it 13-10, he needed luck. Let's get to the play. I still remember Charles Woodson running unimpeded at Brady from the corner and Brady not seeing him. I remember that oblong football rolling around the snow and Greg Biekert jumping on it. I remember the silence in Foxboro and the celebration on the Raiders sideline and in my basement (it is amazing how many of these moments I lived through in my basement). I then I remember Walt Coleman starting to review the call. Despite my limited knowledge of the NFL at the time, I had a bad feeling it was going to get overturned. Maybe it was the building anxiety of the crowd, but it felt like that call was getting overturned. I still don't know why. Even if the Tuck Rule is a rule (and it is), I don't think it was applied correctly, as it seemed to me when Brady was hit and the ball came out, Brady had both hands on the ball which seems to me as the end of any 'tuck' motion. Also, I don't see how any angle showed conclusive video evidence, as the call of the field was a fumble. I don't see how Walt Coleman could have reversed that call. Walt Coleman, a ref who I still hate to this day, and I find it beautiful that he's never been given the honor of reffing the Super Bowl, which I like to think is a silent punishment by the NFL for screwing up the Tuck Rule. Of course, Adam Vinatieri then hit the most ridiculous field goal ever, and the Patriots dynasty was born. That last fact is the worst part. Tom Brady started his career 10-0 in the playoffs, but he should have started his career 0-1, fumbling away a home playoff game. His whole reputation as a QB is built off that first playoff comeback that never should have happened, and it is all Walt Coleman's fault.