Worst Moments:
(Note: Links not provided. If you want to be masochistic and relive these moments, do your own research.)
10. 11/4/2009 - Yankees win their 26th World Series. Evil Yankee empire wins another one... enough said.
9. 7/5/2009 - Randy Johnson leaves the game with an injury.
It's very likely that this was the Big Unit's final start of his illustrious career. With 303 wins, a 10.67 K/9 ratio, 4875 strikeouts (second-best in history), a perfect game, and 5 Cy Youngs, the Bay Area native was arguably the best left handed pitcher in MLB history. He carried his Diamondbacks team to a World Series victory in 2002 (beating the hated Yankees), sharing the MVP award with fellow starter Curt Schilling. It's always sad to see such a pitching legend go, even if he barely spent any of his career with the Giants.
8. 10/3/2009 - USC 30, California 3
Special teams meltdown, defense shredded apart, offense worse than a train wreck, being obliterated by our arch-rivals from SoCal - it was just about as bad as it got. Any remaining Kevin Riley supporters were quickly turned into stout critics. Riley played just about as poorly as you can play - getting sacked multiple times, throwing red zone interceptions, missing wide open targets. The defense simply could not hold up with no offensive support. This was the official tombstone of the season - all hopes of a Rose Bowl or at least a decent season gone down the drain. This loss would be higher up on this list if it were not for an even worse loss a week earlier... (mentioned below)
7. 12/6/2009 - Mare kicks a last second field goal to lift the Seahawks over the Niners.
With Mare's kick and Seattle's victory, any chance of the 49ers going to the playoffs were decreased to near-impossible. It turns out that it wouldn't have mattered anyway, since the Cardinals surprisingly beat the Vikings at home to stretch their lead over the division, but this loss also took away any possibility for the Niners to get their first winning season since 2002.
6. 10/11/2009 - Falcons 45, 49ers 10.
Was this finally the season? Were the 49ers finally a good team? They were 3-1 and coming off a 35-0 blowout of St. Louis, but hopes of finally having a good playoff team were quickly shot down, as Roddy White lit up the scoreboard with 210 receiving yards and 2 touchdowns. It was clear after this game that we would have to wait yet another year for that breakthrough season.
5. 4/27/2009 - Ducks beat the Sharks 4-1 to win the series 4 games to 2.
President's Cup, #1 seed, home field advantage throughout the playoffs, Pacific division crown - all gone down the drain, as in seasons past. Another playoff choke for the Sharks - this time losing to the #8 seed in the very first round. It doesn't matter what you do in the regular season - if you can't win in the playoffs, what's the point?
4. 9/26/2009 - Oregon 42, California 3.
Same story as the USC game. Why is this ranked higher? Nobody expected this to happen - the Bears were 3-0 and were ranked #6 in the nation. Hopes of finally reaching the Rose Bowl and winning the Pac-10 were as high as they could be, but as in past seasons, the Bears did not live up to the hype, falling on their faces instead. The game was a brutal slaughter by the Ducks - as they were completely outplayed in just about every possible way.
3. 9/16/2009 - Schierholtz strikes out to end the game - Rockies 4, Giants 3.
A final effort to propel themselves back into the Wildcard race. Two blowout victories in the first two games had Giants fans eyeing a 7th straight victory at home over the Rockies in the final game of the season between the two teams. After falling behind 4-0, the Giants needed a miracle in the 9th - and they almost got it. Three timely hits, a throwing error, and a daring stolen base put the tying run at 2nd with nobody out. But Winn and Renteria failed to move the runner over, and despite a lengthy at-bat by Schierholtz, the 9th inning drama went for naught, as Schierholtz struck out to end the game, putting the Giants 3.5 games back in the Wildcard and dashing any hopes of the playoffs.
2. 9/27/2009 - Favre wins the game for the Vikings with a last second TD pass.
The 49ers came into the game with an optimistic 2-0 record and had their sights on the playoffs after defeating both the Cardinals and the Seahawks. They led 24-20 in the final minute after a hard-fought battle with the Vikings that involved multiple-lead changes, but Favre would have the last word. A defensive meltdown allowed Favre to march downfield and find Greg Lewis in the end zone from 32 yards out with 2 seconds to go, as the Vikings took a 27-24 lead. This was a chance for the 49ers to finally prove that they were a playoff team - this was a game that playoff teams win - and they failed.. Yes, you could say that a moral victory could be obtained from this, as the 49ers fought neck-and-neck with one of the NFL's elite teams, but at some point, you need real victories and not just moral ones.
1. 8/24/2009 - Spilborghs hits a walk-off grand slam for the Rockies in the bottom of the 14th.
So much hung in the balance in the series. The Giants came in two games down in the standings and could have achieved a tie by winning three out of four. But after two straight losses, the Giants were simply looking to salvage the series and stay close in the Wildcard race. With 3 runs in the top of the 14th, things seemed to be going their way in the series finale, but a bullpen meltdown in the bottom half culminating in a walk-off grand slam for the Rockies gave the Giants a devastating, season-killing loss, dropping them four games back of the Rockies in the Wildcard. A surprisingly successful season that had inspired Giants fans had finally hit its bump in the road. Despite the fact that the Giants followed this series up optimism-brewing home-sweep of the Rockies, this series would haunt them, as the Rockies would hold on to their Wildcard lead for the rest of the season.
(Next post to come: Best 10 Moments)
(Note: Links not provided. If you want to be masochistic and relive these moments, do your own research.)
10. 11/4/2009 - Yankees win their 26th World Series. Evil Yankee empire wins another one... enough said.9. 7/5/2009 - Randy Johnson leaves the game with an injury.It's very likely that this was the Big Unit's final start of his illustrious career. With 303 wins, a 10.67 K/9 ratio, 4875 strikeouts (second-best in history), a perfect game, and 5 Cy Youngs, the Bay Area native was arguably the best left handed pitcher in MLB history. He carried his Diamondbacks team to a World Series victory in 2002 (beating the hated Yankees), sharing the MVP award with fellow starter Curt Schilling. It's always sad to see such a pitching legend go, even if he barely spent any of his career with the Giants.
8. 10/3/2009 - USC 30, California 3Special teams meltdown, defense shredded apart, offense worse than a train wreck, being obliterated by our arch-rivals from SoCal - it was just about as bad as it got. Any remaining Kevin Riley supporters were quickly turned into stout critics. Riley played just about as poorly as you can play - getting sacked multiple times, throwing red zone interceptions, missing wide open targets. The defense simply could not hold up with no offensive support. This was the official tombstone of the season - all hopes of a Rose Bowl or at least a decent season gone down the drain. This loss would be higher up on this list if it were not for an even worse loss a week earlier... (mentioned below)
7. 12/6/2009 - Mare kicks a last second field goal to lift the Seahawks over the Niners.With Mare's kick and Seattle's victory, any chance of the 49ers going to the playoffs were decreased to near-impossible. It turns out that it wouldn't have mattered anyway, since the Cardinals surprisingly beat the Vikings at home to stretch their lead over the division, but this loss also took away any possibility for the Niners to get their first winning season since 2002.
6. 10/11/2009 - Falcons 45, 49ers 10.Was this finally the season? Were the 49ers finally a good team? They were 3-1 and coming off a 35-0 blowout of St. Louis, but hopes of finally having a good playoff team were quickly shot down, as Roddy White lit up the scoreboard with 210 receiving yards and 2 touchdowns. It was clear after this game that we would have to wait yet another year for that breakthrough season.
President's Cup, #1 seed, home field advantage throughout the playoffs, Pacific division crown - all gone down the drain, as in seasons past. Another playoff choke for the Sharks - this time losing to the #8 seed in the very first round. It doesn't matter what you do in the regular season - if you can't win in the playoffs, what's the point?
4. 9/26/2009 - Oregon 42, California 3.Same story as the USC game. Why is this ranked higher? Nobody expected this to happen - the Bears were 3-0 and were ranked #6 in the nation. Hopes of finally reaching the Rose Bowl and winning the Pac-10 were as high as they could be, but as in past seasons, the Bears did not live up to the hype, falling on their faces instead. The game was a brutal slaughter by the Ducks - as they were completely outplayed in just about every possible way.
3. 9/16/2009 - Schierholtz strikes out to end the game - Rockies 4, Giants 3.
2. 9/27/2009 - Favre wins the game for the Vikings with a last second TD pass.The 49ers came into the game with an optimistic 2-0 record and had their sights on the playoffs after defeating both the Cardinals and the Seahawks. They led 24-20 in the final minute after a hard-fought battle with the Vikings that involved multiple-lead changes, but Favre would have the last word. A defensive meltdown allowed Favre to march downfield and find Greg Lewis in the end zone from 32 yards out with 2 seconds to go, as the Vikings took a 27-24 lead. This was a chance for the 49ers to finally prove that they were a playoff team - this was a game that playoff teams win - and they failed.. Yes, you could say that a moral victory could be obtained from this, as the 49ers fought neck-and-neck with one of the NFL's elite teams, but at some point, you need real victories and not just moral ones.
1. 8/24/2009 - Spilborghs hits a walk-off grand slam for the Rockies in the bottom of the 14th.So much hung in the balance in the series. The Giants came in two games down in the standings and could have achieved a tie by winning three out of four. But after two straight losses, the Giants were simply looking to salvage the series and stay close in the Wildcard race. With 3 runs in the top of the 14th, things seemed to be going their way in the series finale, but a bullpen meltdown in the bottom half culminating in a walk-off grand slam for the Rockies gave the Giants a devastating, season-killing loss, dropping them four games back of the Rockies in the Wildcard. A surprisingly successful season that had inspired Giants fans had finally hit its bump in the road. Despite the fact that the Giants followed this series up optimism-brewing home-sweep of the Rockies, this series would haunt them, as the Rockies would hold on to their Wildcard lead for the rest of the season.
(Next post to come: Best 10 Moments)
riley is a worst moment :D
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