Thomas Bugg Posted April 20, 2017 Share Posted April 20, 2017 Now a few years ago the NFL Network did their Top 10 on this subject but obviously they only covered football, and also I feel that there were several great teams that failed to get even an honorable mention on the program, hence this post. I'm not going to bring up the Philly teams that I listed because those memories are too painful to bring back up. Instead- and I know it'll probably irritate someone in the DVDVR- but I'll bring up those Cleveland Indians teams of the mid- to late-90's. Those guys kicked a lot of butt! I mean even today you could rattle off the names- Baerga, Lofton, Sandy, Belle, Orel, Nagy, Thome, Murray, Omar, Manny- and you have an All Star team in and of itself. Jesus Christ, seven winning records, six division titles (five of them shits were consecutive, they dominated the AL Central), two pennants and NOT ONE WORLD SERIES TITLE?? And as I watched Game 7 of the 1997 World Series I felt MY goddamn nuts ripped out by the way it ended, so I can only imagine how Cleveland sports fans felt. That's the last of anything I'm going to mention in this thread about that city because it's been beat to death. Ugh, the Chiefs of the 90's. I could've picked any team from the Marty Era (save for 1998) and it would've fit the bill here. But I decided to go with the 1995 squad. If the Chiefs would've won the Super Bowl that year, I strongly believe that the defense that year would've made a lot of people's Top 25 list- not necessarily on the level of the 1985 Bears or the 2000 Ravens, but at least an honorable mention. In addition, Marcus Allen was in the midst of a rebirth, Tamarick Vanover was a highlight reel in the return game, and Steve Bono had the best year that he EVER had in the NFL. This was of course before he became the butt of jokes, mainly due to... THAT GODDAMN DIVISIONAL PLAYOFF GAME!!! The best thing that I can say about this game is that the Chiefs defense did their job- holding the Colts to a touchdown in the first half and a field goal in the second. The offense was fucking terrible- 4 turnovers, and three of them were picks by Bono, who suddenly in the second half forgot what his own receivers looked like. In all fairness Bono didn't have any Pro Bowlers as receivers to work with, neither did Rich Gannon who replaced him after the third INT- Gannon almost willed the team to victory, but Lake Dawson dropped the football in the end zone. Marty being Marty in the playoffs acted as if he didn't know what the fuck he was doing in the 4th quarter, and don't even get me started on Lin "Couldn't Hit The Broad Side Of A Barn With A Goddamn Apple Seed" Elliott! Yes, it was cold and windy in Kansas City and it wound up being as in a majority of cold weather games a defensive struggle, but FUCK! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
odessasteps Posted April 20, 2017 Share Posted April 20, 2017 2001 Mariners? #ichiro 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas Bugg Posted April 20, 2017 Author Share Posted April 20, 2017 2 minutes ago, odessasteps said: 2001 Mariners? #ichiro 116 WINS!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Fowler Posted April 20, 2017 Share Posted April 20, 2017 In a slightly different take, the fact that OKC had Durant-Westbrook-Ibaka (and briefly Harden) and have zero titles to show for it has to make them a strong contender for best group to never break through. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Posted April 21, 2017 Share Posted April 21, 2017 Does college count? I'd throw in the 2005 Illini (37-2!) for discussion. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobbyWhioux Posted April 21, 2017 Share Posted April 21, 2017 I'm certain the NFL Network mentioned them at length, but Bud Grant's Minnesota Vikings don't just fit this category, they invented it. They're why this phenomenon is a discussion topic 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas Bugg Posted April 21, 2017 Author Share Posted April 21, 2017 1 hour ago, Pete said: Does college count? I'd throw in the 2005 Illini (37-2!) for discussion. Didn't they lose to North Carolina? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supremebve Posted April 21, 2017 Share Posted April 21, 2017 The Cleveland Browns of 1986 or 1987 have to be mentioned. Everyone remembers the drive and the fumble, but no one seems to remember that Bernie Kosar was a top 5 quarterback in the league at the time and their defense was outstanding. Those are the first teams I ever loved. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
odessasteps Posted April 21, 2017 Share Posted April 21, 2017 Watching Barry Sanders get negative yards in a playoff game in Lambeau with a room full of packers fans, coupled with the 45-0 loss to Washington in a championship game makes me WANT to say the Lions, but one HOF player does not a "best team to never win" argumemt deserve. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Posted April 21, 2017 Share Posted April 21, 2017 7 hours ago, Thomas Bugg said: Didn't they lose to North Carolina? Hence "best to never win a championship," yes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sabremike Posted April 21, 2017 Share Posted April 21, 2017 1988 Bengals 1988 Mets 1992-93 Knicks 2005-06 Sabres 2006-07 Sabres 1990 Bills 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
S.K.o.S. Posted April 21, 2017 Share Posted April 21, 2017 2002-03 Senators. I remember players just sitting on the ice with the thousand yard stare after the game 7 loss to the Devils. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tabe Posted April 22, 2017 Share Posted April 22, 2017 On 4/20/2017 at 11:44 AM, Thomas Bugg said: 116 WINS!!! They won or tied every series that year until the playoffs. What a terrific team. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tabe Posted April 22, 2017 Share Posted April 22, 2017 23 hours ago, odessasteps said: Watching Barry Sanders get negative yards in a playoff game in Lambeau with a room full of packers fans, coupled with the 45-0 loss to Washington in a championship game makes me WANT to say the Lions, but one HOF player does not a "best team to never win" argumemt deserve. I fully believe that 91 team wins the Super Bowl most years. They just happened to run into arguably the greatest team ever. Me to Mark Rypien: "you guys broke my heart that year. You kicked our butts." Mark Rypien (grinning): "Yeah, we did." 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tabe Posted April 22, 2017 Share Posted April 22, 2017 I'm the NHL, the 96 Red Wings. 62 wins, 131 points. They won Cups the next two years but that 96 team was the best of the group. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Man Known as Dan Posted April 22, 2017 Share Posted April 22, 2017 To continue the mid 90's Indians thing, and I know the reason why they didn't win the series in 96 can just be listed as pitching, but here is a listing of position players who were on that team. Sandy Alomar Jr, Julio Franco, Carlos Baerga, Omar Visquel, Jim Thome, Albert Belle, Kenny Lofton, Manny Ramirez, Eddie Murray, Jeromy Burnitz, Brian Giles, Jeff Kent. I'm curious were that ranks all time on "most position player talent on a baseball team" ever. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Death From Above Posted April 22, 2017 Share Posted April 22, 2017 The Edmonton Oilers won 5 cups in 7 years and somehow managed to lose one of those years to an own goal in a 7th game against basically the only team that could hang with them for a 7 game series. Can't complain too much about the end results, but still. It could have easily been 6 in 7 years there. Poor old Steve Smith played something like 14 years in the NHL and all anyone remembers is that silly own goal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
odessasteps Posted April 22, 2017 Share Posted April 22, 2017 I was just thinking the Jets team of that era would be a good candidate for the topic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elizium Posted April 22, 2017 Share Posted April 22, 2017 46 minutes ago, odessasteps said: I was just thinking the Jets team of that era would be a good candidate for the topic. Eh, the 84-85 team was quite good, but probably not good enough. The Jets main problem during that time was just being in the wrong division. Had they been in the garbage Norris Division during the 80s, they would have at least made a conference final or two. Playing in the Norris probably turns a lot of their 80+ point seasons into 90+. Not having to play 16 games a year against Edmonton and Calgary would have been a godsend. That 84-85 team that finished 4th in the league in points (2nd in the Smythe) and 3rd in goals scored went 4-10-2 against the Oilers and Flames during the regular season. Most of the other Jets teams of the era were either pretty average or bad altogether. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenalysis Posted April 22, 2017 Share Posted April 22, 2017 1993 Braves and 1993 Giants. They destroyed each other in the regular season and Braves had nothing left in the tank for the postseason. 93 Giants might be best team never to make the playoffs in baseball. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tabe Posted April 22, 2017 Share Posted April 22, 2017 1 hour ago, alstein said: 1993 Braves and 1993 Giants. They destroyed each other in the regular season and Braves had nothing left in the tank for the postseason. 93 Giants might be best team never to make the playoffs in baseball. Them or the 1961 Tigers that won 101 games - and finished *8* games out. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sabremike Posted April 22, 2017 Share Posted April 22, 2017 14 hours ago, Death From Above said: The Edmonton Oilers won 5 cups in 7 years and somehow managed to lose one of those years to an own goal in a 7th game against basically the only team that could hang with them for a 7 game series. Can't complain too much about the end results, but still. It could have easily been 6 in 7 years there. Poor old Steve Smith played something like 14 years in the NHL and all anyone remembers is that silly own goal. Just reminded me of another team that belongs on this list: 87 Flyers who took arguably the greatest team ever to a 7th game. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lacelle Posted April 22, 2017 Share Posted April 22, 2017 The Rougeau Brothers are my pick for the best tag team to not hold the gold. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joel Martin Posted April 23, 2017 Share Posted April 23, 2017 1999-2000 Trail Blazers 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elizium Posted April 23, 2017 Share Posted April 23, 2017 8 hours ago, Lacelle said: The Rougeau Brothers are my pick for the best tag team to not hold the gold. Seriously. The late 80s-very early 90s are one of the few times that the WWF/E could have supported a secondary tag title. How hot would a Rougeaus/Rockers Intercontinental Tag Title feud have been? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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