Being a fan of Miami pro sports means your ray of light is an oncoming train.
In a city with multiple franchises, it’s easy for two teams to be bad in one year. But all of its teams, in the sports fiscal year that stretches from the NFL kickoff to the last pitch of the World Series? That’s historic awfulness.
The Dolphins were the worst team in the NFL. The Heat is the worst team in the NBA, only two seasons removed from the NBA title. The Marlins, given how they dumped their best players this offseason, could be the worst team in baseball. The Panthers aren’t the worst team in the NHL -- just tied for third-worst in the Eastern Conference. If Miami wants to be a truly historic losing city, the Panthers better go on a long losing streak soon, especially being only two points out of first place in the lousy, lousy Southeast.
While such ineptitude across one city’s franchises is rare, it does happen. So Miami fans, if they need to commiserate, can call up fans in 10 other cities that watched all of its teams (three minimum -- it’s too easy for two teams in one town to stink) spit the bit in the sports calendar year running from NFL kickoff to last pitch of the World Series.";
spt_Worst_city_seasons[i++] = new Array("","New York, 1964-65","","","","", "", "", "", "", "right", "", "", "100", "100", "", "", "", "", "");
spt_Worst_city_seasons[i-1].body = "NEW YORK, 1964-65
DISHONOR ROLL: Giants, 2-10-2, worst in the NFL; Jets, 5-8-1, next to last in the AFL East; Rangers, 20-39-12, fifth in the six-team NHL; Knicks, 31-49, last in the NBA Eastern Division; Mets, 50-112, worst in Major League Baseball; Yankees, 77-85, sixth in the American League.
The Jets had been awful in their first few years in the AFL, the Rangers were in the middle of a long period of futility, and the Mets were still the awfully Amazin’ team they were when they joined the NL in 1962, although manager Casey Stengel’s broken hip forced his retirement by September, silencing the one-liners that kept the losing tolerable. The Knicks got tired of watching Eddie Donovan coach the team into oblivion, kicking him upstairs to general manager in midseason. Despite Isiah Thomas’ best efforts, Donovan still has the worst winning percentage ever (.302) for any Knicks coach who lasted more than a season. (This eliminates' Larry Brown's doomed tenure.) But the big shocks were the Yankees and the Giants, who both got old and went downhill in a hurry.
Each had lost their respective sports’ championship final the season before their nosedive.
SAVING GRACE: Donovan turned out to be just as good as an NBA general manager as he was bad as an NBA coach. His drafts put together the Knicks teams that won 1970 and 1973 titles.";
spt_Worst_city_seasons[i++] = new Array("","Philadelphia, 1971-72","","","","", "", "", "", "", "right", "", "", "76", "200", "", "", "", "", "");
spt_Worst_city_seasons[i-1].body = "PHILADELPHIA, 1971-72
DISHONOR ROLL: Eagles, 6-7-1, third, NFC East; Flyers, 26-38-14, fifth, NHL West; Sixers, 30-52, third (out of four), NBA Atlantic; Phillies, 59-97, worst in the NL
The Eagles, who rallied (believe it or not) after firing their coach midyear, and the Sixers would be far, far worse the next season.
Especially the Sixers, who would go an all-time NBA-worst 9-73 in 1972-73. But this was the one year during which every Philadelphia team sunk into the deep. But there was still some heartbreak to rub it in.
The Flyers missed the playoffs when goalie Doug Favell couldn’t stop an 80-foot shot (by ex-Flyer Gerry Meehan) to preserve a postseason-clinching tie with four seconds left in their final game.
Mitch Williams, Doug Favell. Doug Favell, Mitch Williams.
SAVING GRACE: 1971-72 was the first of 11 straight seasons the Flyers would lead the NHL in penalty minutes. In other words, the birth of the two-time Stanley Cup winning Broad Street Bullies under rookie coach Fred Shero.";
spt_Worst_city_seasons[i++] = new Array("","Buffalo, 1971-72","","","","", "", "", "", "", "right", "", "", "100", "100", "", "", "", "", "");
spt_Worst_city_seasons[i-1].body = "BUFFALO, 1971-72
DISHONOR ROLL: Bills, 1-13, worst in the NFL; Braves, 22-60, worst in the NBA Eastern Conference; Sabres, 16-43-9, worst in the NHL Eastern Conference.
The Braves (the precursor to the Los Angeles Clippers) and the Sabres were toddler-aged expansion teams, so their struggles were expected. But the Bills are what put this season underwater for Buffalo fans. The Bills had been lousy for a while, and in O.J. Simpson’s fourth season, no one could still figure out how to use him. They scored a league-worst 184 points and gave up a league-worst 394. Coach John Rauch, who would play Simpson as a receiver (!) in a desperate attempt to spark a downfield passing attack like his old Raider days, was pressured to resign just days before the season, replaced by personnel director Harvey Johnson. A similar situation occurred in 1968, Simpson’s rookie year, with Johnson taking over one game in, and he was 1-10-1 that year.
Apparently Johnson could neither buy the right groceries, nor could he make dinner with them.
SAVING GRACE: With nowhere to go but up, the Bills, Braves and Sabres did, all making the playoffs within the next three seasons. Better yet, once the Braves got bad again, they left town.";
spt_Worst_city_seasons[i++] = new Array("","Atlanta, 1974-75","","","","", "", "", "", "", "right", "", "", "100", "100", "", "", "", "", "");
spt_Worst_city_seasons[i-1].body = "ATLANTA, 1974-75
DISHONOR ROLL: Falcons, 3-11, last, NFC West; Hawks, 31-51, fourth, NBA Central; Flames, 34-31-5, fourth, NHL Patrick; Braves, 67-94, fifth, NL West
This season was a nasty hangover after the party that was 1973-74. Then, the Falcons put together their best-ever record (9-5), Pete Maravich provided excitement for the Hawks, the second-year Flames made the playoffs, and Hank Aaron hit his career record 715th home run for the Braves, which had their best record (88-74) since their 1969 division title. In 1974-75, Falcons coach Norm Van Brocklin alienated his players during a league-wide, preseason strike, and got fired eight games into the season, going 2-6 with a team widely picked to win the division.
Maravich had been traded to the expansion New Orleans Jazz for what turned out to be eight players and zero impact. The Flames had a better regular-season record, but missed the playoffs. Aaron was back in Milwaukee with the Brewers, but the bigger problem was the regression and aging of most everyone else.
SAVING GRACE: Ted Turner didn't own any teams yet.";
spt_Worst_city_seasons[i++] = new Array("","Seattle, 1980-81","","","","", "", "", "", "", "right", "", "", "100", "100", "", "", "", "", "");
spt_Worst_city_seasons[i-1].body = "SEATTLE, 1980-81
DISHONOR ROLL: Seahawks, 4-12, last, AFC West; SuperSonics, 34-48, last, NBA West; Mariners, 44-65, last, AL West
Like Buffalo in 1970-71, Seattle team’s ineptitude could be blamed on two out of three teams still in expansion mode -- the Seahawks, who arrived in 1976, and the Mariners, who premiered in 1977. But that doesn’t cover all the blame. The previous two seasons the Seahawks finished 9-7, and looked good again starting 4-3. But they then lost their last nine games. Firing their worst manager ever, Maury Wills, 25 games into the Mariners’ strike-shortened season didn’t do much to end their struggles, which would eventually extend into finishing under .500 each of their first 14 seasons. The Sonics had won the NBA title two seasons before and had made the conference final the previous year, but they sunk when star guard Gus Williams sat out the season in a contract holdout.
SAVING GRACE: Williams did come back, and led the Sonics to another 50-win season and playoff appearance. Hopefully, he also got to say \"I told you so\" to Sonics ownership. Repeatedly.";
spt_Worst_city_seasons[i++] = new Array("","Cleveland, 1990-91","","","","", "", "", "", "", "right", "", "", "100", "100", "", "", "", "", "");
spt_Worst_city_seasons[i-1].body = "CLEVELAND, 1990-91
DISHONOR HOLL: Browns, 3-13, last, AFC Central; Cavaliers, 33-49, sixth, NBA Central; Indians, 57-105, worst in the majors
Given Cleveland’s long history of sports heartbreak, it seems picking out just one kick-in-the-gut year isn’t enough. But all three Cleveland teams joined hands in ineptitude for just one magical season. That 3-13 Browns record, which got coach Bud Carson fired before the year was out, was the worst in the history of the original Browns. That Indians record was its second-worst ever, only finishing above the 1914 squad. The season was like the 1989 hit “Major League,” except that the 1991 Indians never started winning. The Cavaliers’ record, in the middle of its most extended period of success pre-LeBron, came courtesy of a season-ending injury to point guard Mark Price six games into the season.
SAVING GRACE: Price came back the next year, and the Browns hired a genius coach named Bill Belichick who ... oh wait, he wasn’t a genius in Cleveland.";
spt_Worst_city_seasons[i++] = new Array("","Chicago, 1998-99","","","","", "", "", "", "", "right", "", "", "100", "100", "", "", "", "", "");
spt_Worst_city_seasons[i-1].body = "CHICAGO, 1998-99
DISHONOR ROLL: Bears, 4-12, last, NFC Central; Bulls, 13-37, last, NBA Central; Blackhawks, 29-41-12, third, NHL Central; White Sox, 75-86, second, AL Central; Cubs, 67-95, last, NL Central
Apparently general manager Jerry Krause running off Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen and Phil Jackson immediately after their sixth championship put every Chicago team in a funk, not just the Bulls. The Bears had been bad for a few years, but cemented it in Dave Wannstedt’s final season by wasting a top-five pick on Curtis Enis, a bust even by Penn State running back standards, and having a quarterback trifecta of Erik Kramer, Steve Stenstrom and Moses Moreno, who lasted only a collective four seasons in the NFL afterward. (No wonder Sid Luckman is still the Bears’ career passing leader.) The Blackhawks the previous year had missed the playoffs after 29 straight appearances; they are now working on missing their ninth postseason in the past decade. The White Sox’s second-place finish shouldn’t fool anybody. They were 21-and-a-half games behind Cleveland, and would have been next-to-last in any other AL division. But the stunner was the Cubs, who deflated after winning a wild card berth during 1998’s Sosamania (in conjunction with McGwiremania). The Cubs were next to last in the NL in batting average and ERA, and had only four more wins than Sammy Sosa had home runs (63).
SAVING GRACE: Well, there was always the fun of hanging out on Waveland Avenue to catch one of Sammy’s home run balls, which certainly were going to be worth a lot of money when he inevitably got elected to the Hall of Fame. I mean, it's a shoo-in, right? What could possibly go wrong for Sammy?";
spt_Worst_city_seasons[i++] = new Array("","Los Angeles, 1993-94","","","","", "", "", "", "", "right", "", "", "100", "100", "", "", "", "", "");
spt_Worst_city_seasons[i-1].body = "LOS ANGELES, 1993-94
DISHONOR ROLL: Rams, 5-11, last, NFC West; Raiders, 10-6, second, AFC West; Lakers, 33-49, fourth, NBA Pacific; Clippers, 27-55; sixth, NBA Pacific; Kings, 27-45-12, last, NHL Pacific; Mighty Ducks, 33-46-5, fourth, NHL Pacific; Dodgers, 58-56, first, NL West; Angels, 47-68, worst in the AL.
In what is still their worst record since the season before the 1975 acquisition of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the Lakers wrung through three coaches -- including Magic Johnson, who showed the same acumen for walking the sideline that he would later bring to hosting a talk show.
Speaking of coaches, Larry Brown’s preseason departure effectively ended the Clippers’ Southern California-record streak of playoff appearances -- at two. The Angels were equally awful under two different managers.
As putrid as 1993-94 was when the games were under way, it got even worse for Los Angeles when they were over. The Rams’ most notable event during this time period was quarterback Jim Everett beating up talk show host Jim Rome for calling him “Chris” during an interview. (Little-known fact: Chris Evert later beat up Rome when he called her \"Jim.\") The Dodgers’ first-place finish meant nothing because of a players’ strike that ended the season, not that the mediocre Dodgers were in any danger of going to the World Series. The Raiders’ playoff berth meant little because Al Davis was already three years into an effort to move his team back to Oakland.
But Kings owner and con man Bruce McNall had them all beat in the race to the bottom. In 1992-93, his Kings (featuring Wayne Gretzky) reached the Stanley Cup finals. By December 1993, creditors were coming hard after McNall. By May 1994, he had filed for personal bankruptcy as federal investigators moved closer. He eventually served four years in prison for defrauding banks out of $236 million. To be fair, at least he didn’t give his hockey team a stupid name, like the Disney-owned, expansion Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, still the only major sports team to be named after an Emilio Estevez movie franchise.
SAVING GRACE: The Angels were still the California Angels, and not the ridiculous Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.";
spt_Worst_city_seasons[i++] = new Array("","Pittsburgh, 2003-04","","","","", "", "", "", "", "right", "", "", "100", "100", "", "", "", "", "");
spt_Worst_city_seasons[i-1].body = "PITTSBURGH, 2003-04
DISHONOR ROLL: Steelers, 6-10, third, AFC North; Penguins, 23-47-8-4, worst in the NHL; Pirates, 72-89, fifth, NL Central
The Steelers’ season started with star linebacker Joey Porter getting shot, continued with injuries decimating the offensive line, and ended with fans wanting to rename starting quarterback and former XFL MVP Tommy Maddox “They Hate Me.” At least for the Steelers this awfulness was a one-year blip. The Pirates’ terrible year is but merely one stop on a streak of 15 (and counting) sub-.500 seasons. The Penguins, like the Pirates, were in the basement because of their tight hold on a buck, though that was a little more understandable for a team only six years removed from Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
SAVING GRACE: Mario Lemieux was still around.";
spt_Worst_city_seasons[i++] = new Array("","Phoenix, 2003-04","","","","", "", "", "", "", "right", "", "", "98", "98", "", "", "", "", "");
spt_Worst_city_seasons[i-1].body = "PHOENIX, 2003-04
DISHONOR ROLL: Cardinals, 4-12, last, NFC West; Suns, 29-53, sixth, NBA Pacific; Coyotes, 22-36-18-6, last, NHL Pacific; Diamondbacks, 51-111, worst in the majors.
Here is the ignoble standard in Miami's grasp. With their teams winning a collective one out of every three games, this is the worst year for any city that didn't have the excuse of freshly minted expansion franchises. The Cardinals? What can you say -- a team doesn't go 40 years without a title without careful planning. The Coyotes, in their last year before Wayne Gretzky came to save the day, still carried the Losipeg banner the team unfurled when it was the Winnipeg Jets. (Alas, even Gretzky, as owner-coach, hasn't been able to turn things around.) The Suns and the Diamondbacks were lousy in large part because of the fire sales put on by Jerry Colangelo, who owned both teams. Amazingly, Randy Johnson still was on the Diamondbacks, and finished second in Cy Young voting thanks to a 16-14 record, with a 2.60 ERA. You shudder to think how a team that was one of only 15 to lose more than 110 games, who lost in ways not seen since Casey Stengel's Amazin' Mets, would have fared without him.
SAVING GRACE: One salary dump proved to be extremely worthwhile: Stephon Marbury, traded at midseason to the New York Knicks. That freed up money to sign a far more valuable point guard -- Steve Nash.";
spt_Worst_city_seasons[i++] = new Array("spt_worst_sports_seasons","Vote: Worst season?","","","","", "lv2", "", "", "", "right", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "");
// END editorial data