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REWIND: Biggest Mistakes · Pittsburgh Sports Memories

0:00
SPEAKER_01: Hi everybody, welcome to the Pittsburgh Sports Memories Podcast.
0:04
SPEAKER_01: I am Tim Hannon, and I'm Steve Wirt.
0:08
SPEAKER_01: In this episode, we're going to cover the top in-game mistakes.
0:29
SPEAKER_01: And and just a little context for this episode.
0:32
SPEAKER_01: So this is in-game mistakes only.
0:36
SPEAKER_01: So this is something that happened on the field or in the arena.
0:40
SPEAKER_01: You know, no Stewart's cutting Johnny United or Penguins making a bad draft pick or whatever.
0:46
SPEAKER_01: Not personnel moves.
0:48
SPEAKER_01: This had to have happened in a game.
0:50
SPEAKER_01: I also tried to limit this to on-the-field mistakes.
0:53
SPEAKER_01: Wanted to stay away from coaching mistakes.
0:56
SPEAKER_01: I feel like coaching mistakes are very subjective.
0:59
SPEAKER_01: So it's really going to be player mistakes.
1:01
SPEAKER_01: So sorry, players.
1:03
SPEAKER_01: And as we go through this, you know, we'll try to look at some of the human side of these mistakes because, you know, we're all we're all humans, we're all flawed.
1:12
SPEAKER_01: None of us are perfect.
1:14
SPEAKER_01: We've all been there, we've all made mistakes, and whether we're multi-million dollar athletes or not, you know, all of us tend to just have our mishaps.
1:22
SPEAKER_01: So we'll kind of try to look at some of the human side of this as well.
1:26
SPEAKER_01: But but let's actually kick off for our first item on the list, which is this.
1:33
SPEAKER_02: Unfortunately for the Steelers, Dave Smith, weather was not an excuse for a premature celebration on another October night against Kansas City.
1:45
SPEAKER_01: In 1971, the Steelers are playing the Kansas City Chiefs on Monday night football.
1:51
SPEAKER_01: And this was in an era where Kansas City was representing the AFC in Super Bowls, and the Steelers were not quite the Steelers yet.
1:59
SPEAKER_01: And so the Chiefs are really dominating the game.
2:01
SPEAKER_01: They're up 31-9 in the fourth quarter.
2:05
SPEAKER_01: And the Steelers do get a big play, though.
2:07
SPEAKER_01: Terry Bradshaw hits wide receiver Dave Smith on a slant pass across the middle of the field.
2:13
SPEAKER_01: Now, Dave Smith, he he was really uh an excellent athlete.
2:17
SPEAKER_01: He's actually the first ever IUP graduate to be drafted in the NFL.
2:21
SPEAKER_01: That had happened the year before.
2:23
SPEAKER_01: And at IUP, he'd played football, basketball, and baseball.
2:27
SPEAKER_01: So the guy was a really athletic uh football player.
2:30
SPEAKER_01: And he's playing pretty well for the Steelers that year, too.
2:32
SPEAKER_01: He actually ends up leading the team in touchdown receptions in 1971.
2:37
SPEAKER_01: So on this play, Smith catches that slant pass around midfield, and he just makes a great athletic play to sort of outrace the entire Kansas City defense all the way to the end zone.
2:48
SPEAKER_01: Around the three-yard line or so, Smith raises his arms up in celebration.
2:53
SPEAKER_01: And as he does that, the ball slips out of his hands before he crosses the goal line.
2:58
SPEAKER_01: And then, sort of to make it look even dumber, he he kind of tries to reach his arm back, and then he like banana peel slips and falls down.
3:07
SPEAKER_01: And the ball ends up bouncing into the back of the end zone.
3:11
SPEAKER_01: And so instead of a touchdown for Pittsburgh, it's a touchback for Kansas City.
3:15
SPEAKER_01: And that play, it's mostly inconsequential to the results because, as we said, Kansas City was at an insurmountable lead at the time.
3:24
SPEAKER_01: Stewers were not going to come back from 31 to 9 at that point.
3:28
SPEAKER_01: But because it was such a huge blooper, and because it happened on Monday Night Football, Monday Night Football back then was huge.
3:34
SPEAKER_01: You only had the three networks.
3:36
SPEAKER_01: You didn't have cable.
3:37
SPEAKER_01: I mean, it that was the game that everybody watched.
3:40
SPEAKER_01: And so because it happened on Monday Night Football, it ends up getting a ton of national attention.
3:45
SPEAKER_01: It's featured on Johnny Carson.
3:47
SPEAKER_01: He's making jokes about it.
3:48
SPEAKER_01: And then for years and years after that, every single Monday Night Football retrospective, including that clip I played at the beginning there, always relived that play.
3:58
SPEAKER_01: That was always one of the moments in Monday Night Football history.
4:02
SPEAKER_01: So, you know, not real consequential to the results, but but you know, poor Dave Smith, I I think it's kind of unfortunate for him because he never really does anything of note in the NFL after that.
4:15
SPEAKER_01: And so that just ends up being his you know, quote unquote signature moment in terms of his fame.
4:22
SPEAKER_01: And and he actually passed away in 2020, and of course that play is mentioned in his obituary.
4:28
SPEAKER_01: So I just I kind of feel bad for him because it it wasn't even, you know, we've seen this, we saw this later with like Deshaun Jackson did that in Dallas once.
4:37
SPEAKER_01: But but like usually when you saw something like this, a guy lose the ball before the end zone, it's like they were being cocky or they were spiking it or something.
4:44
SPEAKER_01: And I think Dave Smith, I think he just kind of like I think he just let the emotion you know get the better of him.
4:50
SPEAKER_01: He just kind of like raised his arms, he's excited, he made this great play, and he just kind of put his arm up a little too early and and the ball just slipped out.
4:57
SPEAKER_01: So I don't know.
4:58
SPEAKER_01: It's just kind of unfortunate for him.
5:01
SPEAKER_01: I bet Chuck Knoll was really happy about that.
5:05
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I imagine Noel probably had a thing or two to say about that on the acting.
5:11
SPEAKER_07: He wasn't acting like he had been there before.
5:15
SPEAKER_01: Maybe that's where that phrase came from.
5:17
SPEAKER_07: I I just I who like people always say, Oh, these modern athletes, you know, but it's like you know, this is all the way back in 1971, so obviously this has been going on, like people making like bonehead celebrations for a long time.
5:34
SPEAKER_07: So I mean, what are you gonna do?
5:38
SPEAKER_01: That's a good point, Steve.
5:39
SPEAKER_01: That's a very good point.
5:40
SPEAKER_01: You're right.
5:41
SPEAKER_01: People forget that.
5:43
SPEAKER_01: That that stuff happened even back then.
5:45
SPEAKER_07: And too, this is like the early, this is before the Steelers were they were still weren't really good yet.
5:51
SPEAKER_07: Like 71.
5:52
SPEAKER_07: What they weren't at 72 the next year they would make the playoffs, but they really I mean, I don't know what their record was at the end of the 71 season, but they were improving, but they definitely weren't a playoff team yet.
6:06
SPEAKER_01: Right.
6:08
SPEAKER_01: All right, I need to take a little bit of a deep breath before this one, but here we go.
6:14
SPEAKER_05: 69-68.
6:19
SPEAKER_04: Get a foul now.
6:20
SPEAKER_04: They throw it away.
6:21
SPEAKER_04: Elamine down the lane, spinning against Greer with a shot.
6:25
SPEAKER_04: Good! Elamine scores with two seconds to play.
6:29
SPEAKER_04: What a win! What a win by Connecticut.
6:34
SPEAKER_01: So this is December 12th, 1998.
6:37
SPEAKER_01: Pitts playing Connecticut, who at the time is the number one team in the country in college basketball.
6:45
SPEAKER_01: And they will ultimately go on to win a national championship that year.
6:49
SPEAKER_01: They're playing them at the Fitzgerald Fieldhouse in Oakland.
6:53
SPEAKER_01: Ralph Willard is the pit coach.
6:55
SPEAKER_01: He's in his fifth season.
6:56
SPEAKER_01: And Willard hadn't really done a lot with the team at that point, but that year it's finally starting to show some promise.
7:05
SPEAKER_01: They start the season seven and one, and they have upsets against two ranked teams, number 13 Xavier, and number four, Kentucky, who was the defending national champions at the time.
7:16
SPEAKER_01: So this Pitt team's actually looking like they they could do something and make some noise.
7:21
SPEAKER_01: They're actually ranked in the top 20 for the first time in years.
7:24
SPEAKER_01: And remember, this is before the the Ben Hallen, Jamie Dixon era.
7:28
SPEAKER_01: So for Pitt to be ranked at that time was almost unheard of.
7:32
SPEAKER_01: And now they're opening up their big E schedule with a home game against number one Yukon.
7:37
SPEAKER_01: And it looks like they're gonna pull off another huge upset.
7:40
SPEAKER_01: They really outplay Connecticut for most of the game.
7:42
SPEAKER_01: They have a 13-point lead in the second half.
7:44
SPEAKER_01: That eventually evaporates, but Pitt still leaves by four with in the final seconds.
7:50
SPEAKER_01: Yukon does hit a three to pull within one, but all Pitt really has to do is inbound the ball, hit their free throws, and that's gonna be the end of the game.
8:00
SPEAKER_01: So Vontigo Cummings, who's Pitt's best player, he's the one charged with in inbounding the ball, and he throws it away.
8:08
SPEAKER_01: He throws it way over everybody's head, and it's tracked down by UConn point guard Khaled Alameen, who then dribbles up the court and hits a game-winning basket with two seconds left, and Connecticut wins.
8:22
SPEAKER_01: And and Steve, like what I remember about this game is it was the game where I just was officially done with pit basketball.
8:30
SPEAKER_01: And I I I I I couldn't you know, pit football was already ripping my guts out.
8:36
SPEAKER_01: I couldn't have two pit teams doing that to me all the time.
8:39
SPEAKER_01: And and I just I was so disgusted and sickened after that game that I just I was never as emotionally invested in pit basketball after that game as I was before that game.
8:50
SPEAKER_01: And I think the thing that really upset me the most was if I had to if I had to pick a list of the top five opposing players in any sport who I just loathed and detested the most, call it alamine would be a lock, an absolute lock for the top five.
9:09
SPEAKER_01: I couldn't stand that guy.
9:11
SPEAKER_01: And they threw the ball away to him and let him hit the game-winning score.
9:15
SPEAKER_01: And then he jumps up on the scorers table and pounds his chest at Fitzgerald Fieldhouse, and and all the Pitt students are pelleting him with water bottles, which you know, normally I I certainly wouldn't uh advocate, but at the time I was like, you know, hit him with something harder than plastic bottles.
9:33
SPEAKER_01: So I that that game just boy did that make me uh angry.
9:37
SPEAKER_01: And and it wasn't like Yukon made a great play to win the game.
9:40
SPEAKER_01: It was like Pitt literally threw threw the ball away.
9:44
SPEAKER_07: It's so fit.
9:45
SPEAKER_07: I remember I remember him getting like, didn't Jim Calhoun complain about people throwing stuff at him?
9:50
SPEAKER_07: Oh yeah, maybe my maybe my player shouldn't have jumped up on the scores table.
9:54
SPEAKER_07: Like if you want to run over your team and pound your chest and celebrate and people do that, I would probably have more sympathy than what are you doing on the scores table of like an opposing venue?
10:04
SPEAKER_07: And then like, I'm shocked that the opposing fans would take exception to that.
10:09
SPEAKER_07: It's like, yeah, I wonder.
10:11
SPEAKER_01: So yeah, yeah.
10:13
SPEAKER_01: Calhoun was very like clutching his pearls, and won't someone think of the children.
10:18
SPEAKER_01: I you know, it's like you won the game, jerk, and you know, you didn't deserve to win the game.
10:22
SPEAKER_01: Can you just let us throw our bottles at this jerk player that you have?
10:27
SPEAKER_01: Like, or just can we just say anything, please?
10:30
SPEAKER_07: Or just not say anything about just like, oh, it was a great win, and you know, we celebrated and whatever.
10:35
SPEAKER_07: And it's just yeah, it's just the whole I I never quite got that by Jim Calhoun.
10:40
SPEAKER_07: Like, yeah, I guess he was trying to stand up for his player, but whatever.
10:45
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, whatever.
10:47
SPEAKER_01: Boo-hoo.
10:48
SPEAKER_01: Well, that season Pitt never recovers.
10:50
SPEAKER_01: They finished the season under 500, and Ralph Willard is fired after that year because, you know, why why not?
10:59
SPEAKER_01: Stealing stuff.
11:00
SPEAKER_07: Was he the guy who got fired?
11:01
SPEAKER_07: Guys, like so I forget the firewall of stealing stuff.
11:04
SPEAKER_07: That was on one of our podcasts.
11:06
SPEAKER_07: I mentioned that.
11:07
SPEAKER_01: Yes, we had we had a burglar on the team.
11:10
SPEAKER_01: That's a true story.
11:12
SPEAKER_01: Uh I I do feel kind of bad for Vontigo Cummings.
11:15
SPEAKER_01: He was a he was a really good player.
11:16
SPEAKER_01: He actually ended up being a first-round pick in the NBA.
11:19
SPEAKER_01: And he was a real good player during a time when Pitt was just a bad program.
11:24
SPEAKER_01: Uh so it it kind of sucked that he was the one that made that mistake.
11:28
SPEAKER_01: But again, you play for Pitt and that's what happens.
11:32
SPEAKER_01: All right, moving on to the next item on the list.
11:37
SPEAKER_08: Coming up together.
11:39
SPEAKER_08: Three balls, three ball, and the 49er! get a cut down.
11:45
SPEAKER_08: I haven't ever seen that before in thirty years of football.
11:48
SPEAKER_08: You always talk to people about it.
11:50
SPEAKER_08: You warn them about it.
11:51
SPEAKER_08: Oh.
11:53
SPEAKER_08: Oh
11:58
SPEAKER_01: So we have not seen that in 30 years of football.
12:02
SPEAKER_01: Yes, and the and the pain.
12:04
SPEAKER_01: That was that was Bill Walsh, the legendary 49ers coach who was who was uh talking there.
12:09
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
12:10
SPEAKER_07: Announcing the Bill Walsh hasn't seen it in 30 years.
12:14
SPEAKER_07: Wow, that's impressive.
12:16
SPEAKER_01: Right.
12:16
SPEAKER_01: And you could hear like the pain in his voice.
12:18
SPEAKER_01: Like so, what was Bill Walsh talking about?
12:21
SPEAKER_01: So week seven of the 1990 season, the Steelers are in San Francisco to take on the undefeated 49ers, is obviously after Bill Walsh retired.
12:31
SPEAKER_01: Uh Niners are two-time defending Super Bowl champions.
12:34
SPEAKER_01: So the Steelers, you know, are sort of mediocre back then.
12:38
SPEAKER_01: Niners are really good.
12:40
SPEAKER_01: Steelers can't afford to make any mistakes on a road game against a team that's undefeated.
12:45
SPEAKER_01: And the Steelers are actually in the game in the second half.
12:48
SPEAKER_01: San Francisco's up 10-7, but the Steelers defense has been playing really well.
12:53
SPEAKER_01: They've held Joe Montana and Jerry Race in check.
12:55
SPEAKER_01: They actually intercepted Montana twice in the first half.
12:59
SPEAKER_01: Uh and and and San Francisco kicks a field goal to make it 13-7, but that's that's still manageable.
13:04
SPEAKER_01: It's a one-score game.
13:05
SPEAKER_01: That's a good spot to be in against a team like this on the road.
13:09
SPEAKER_01: So after they kick that field goal, uh the 49ers kick off back to the Steelers.
13:14
SPEAKER_01: And back deep for the Steelers is a rookie running back named Barry Foster.
13:18
SPEAKER_01: He's back to return the kickoff.
13:21
SPEAKER_01: And the ball kind of goes over his head to the side, and Foster just stands there and lets it bounce at the five-yard line.
13:28
SPEAKER_01: And basically what he's doing is he's treating it like it's a punt, but it's not a punt on a kickoff.
13:34
SPEAKER_01: That's a live football.
13:36
SPEAKER_01: And the Niners pounce on it as Foster's just standing there watching, and they open up a two-score lead, and at that point, the Steelers are done.
13:44
SPEAKER_01: They're not going to overcome that.
13:45
SPEAKER_01: And San Francisco ends up winning the game pretty handily.
13:49
SPEAKER_01: And, you know, the the 49ers that year have one of the greatest teams in NFL history.
13:56
SPEAKER_01: Their great dynasty is at its peak.
13:58
SPEAKER_01: And the Steelers have Bubby Burster and an offense that hadn't scored a touchdown until October of that season.
14:03
SPEAKER_01: So probably the Steelers aren't going to win this game anyway.
14:07
SPEAKER_01: But, you know, I mean, again, it was a manageable score at that point.
14:12
SPEAKER_01: And that play really just turned turned things.
14:16
SPEAKER_01: And it was such a just a brain fart.
14:19
SPEAKER_01: Because if you're a kickoff returner, you have to know that that's a live ball.
14:24
SPEAKER_01: And that's kind of what Bill Walsh was saying in that clip there.
14:27
SPEAKER_01: Like, you always teach guys, you always try to remind them, like, hey, a kickoff is different than a punt, but you you never actually see somebody, you know, forget that in the middle of a live game while Barry Foster did.
14:39
SPEAKER_01: They asked Tech Noel after the game what happened on that play.
14:42
SPEAKER_01: And Knoll's quote was, What happened?
14:44
SPEAKER_01: We screwed up good, is what happened.
14:48
SPEAKER_01: And Foster actually ends up riding the bench for the next two years under Noel.
14:52
SPEAKER_01: I mean, Noel never really forgave him for that.
14:54
SPEAKER_01: But he did get a second chance under Bill Cower when Bill Cower took over in 1992.
14:59
SPEAKER_01: And Foster ends up having a record-setting season in 92.
15:03
SPEAKER_01: I think he still holds the record for rushing yards in a season by a Steeler.
15:06
SPEAKER_01: So Foster Foster overcame that and came back and you know had some good years for the Steelers after that, at least.
15:14
SPEAKER_07: Yeah, it's just like he literally thought it was a punt.
15:17
SPEAKER_07: That's what happened.
15:19
SPEAKER_07: And uh I mean, I think that's part of probably what drove Chuck Knowle to retirement because he just couldn't I mean he didn't he couldn't relate to the players anymore.
15:30
SPEAKER_07: And good for Chuck Knowle for realizing that because you know, how could you leave like a 1600-yard rusher on the bench?
15:39
SPEAKER_07: You're just yo shooting yourself in the foot.
15:42
SPEAKER_07: And maybe Barry Foster needed a change of coaching staff.
15:48
SPEAKER_01: Okay, here's our next unfortunate mistake.
15:56
SPEAKER_06: A third Gonzalez.
15:58
SPEAKER_06: Oh my goodness! What the hell are you gonna be kidding me?
16:03
SPEAKER_06: You've gotta be kissing me! You have gotta be kidding me! Let me buy it! Keep going! Go! Go! Thank you, you're invisible! Elma the goal indeed.
16:20
SPEAKER_01: In May of 2021, the Pirates are playing the Cubs at PNC Park.
16:25
SPEAKER_01: It's the top of the third inning.
16:27
SPEAKER_01: Cubs have a guy on second, and there's two outs.
16:30
SPEAKER_01: I just want to repeat, there are two outs.
16:33
SPEAKER_01: Javi Baez is at the plate for the Cubs, he hits a grounder to third.
16:37
SPEAKER_01: Third baseman throws it to Will Craig, the Pirates' first baseman, and that should seemingly end the inning.
16:43
SPEAKER_01: Now, to be fair, the throw is a little off the bag.
16:47
SPEAKER_01: So Craig doesn't have his foot on the back when he catches it.
16:50
SPEAKER_01: He has to take a step off, but he still catches it.
16:53
SPEAKER_01: He still has plenty of time to just move two feet to his right, touch first base, and end the inning.
16:58
SPEAKER_01: In fact, Baez makes it really easy for him because he turns around and starts running back towards home plate.
17:05
SPEAKER_01: And that's when Craig makes the dubious decision to start chasing Baez.
17:10
SPEAKER_01: Why does he do this?
17:11
SPEAKER_01: I don't know that we'll ever know the answer to that, but it's probably the first ever first base to home plate rundown in the history of Major League Baseball.
17:20
SPEAKER_01: Uh, because all you have to do at first base is touch first and the guy's out.
17:24
SPEAKER_01: But Craig chases him, and as he's doing that, the runner from second comes all the way home.
17:29
SPEAKER_01: So then Craig, seeing that, attempts to throw it at the catcher, but it's too late.
17:33
SPEAKER_01: That guy scores, and now Baez turns around.
17:36
SPEAKER_01: He's running back towards first.
17:38
SPEAKER_01: And since Craig was busy chasing him, there's no one to cover first.
17:41
SPEAKER_01: The pitcher tries to cover it, he's too late, the ball gets into the outfield.
17:45
SPEAKER_01: Baez eventually ends up making it to second.
17:48
SPEAKER_01: Just an absolute embarrassment of a play.
17:51
SPEAKER_01: Because uh this is just totally indicative of where the pirates are as a franchise.
17:58
SPEAKER_01: Fun facts.
17:59
SPEAKER_07: You want some fun facts?
18:01
SPEAKER_07: Sure.
18:02
SPEAKER_07: Javi Baez on his way back to home plate would have crossed home plate, he's out.
18:08
SPEAKER_07: The guy who who, and I'm putting air quotes around scored from third, that run doesn't count until Javi Baez reaches first base safely.
18:22
SPEAKER_07: So that guy could literally stand up and down on home plate, the guy from third, and jump up and down and touch home plate with his hands all he wants.
18:30
SPEAKER_07: It doesn't count.
18:32
SPEAKER_07: All you have to do is step on first base.
18:36
SPEAKER_07: You don't even he could have ran and like stood in front of home plate, like in front of Jobi Baez, and like waited for the pitcher to cover first, and then let Jobi Baez run by him and throw the ball to first, and the run still wouldn't have counted.
18:50
SPEAKER_07: So there's a lot going on that's wrong with that play.
18:54
SPEAKER_07: And I've seen like seven and eight-year-olds and nine, ten-year-olds make that play, but I've never seen like high school or 11-12-year-olds even make.
19:03
SPEAKER_07: Like, even they just would have stepped on first.
19:06
SPEAKER_07: It's one of the more ridiculous brain farts I've ever seen in my life.
19:10
SPEAKER_07: It really is.
19:13
SPEAKER_01: Okay, let's shift back to the ice for this one.
19:17
SPEAKER_02: 228 to go as lane from the red line.
19:20
SPEAKER_02: We'll crank it up.
19:21
SPEAKER_02: He fires way wide.
19:22
SPEAKER_02: Off the boards, Carlisle goes after Steve!
19:24
SPEAKER_04: Scott! Scott! I'm just trying! I'm gonna go crazy! At the collective!
19:33
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, there's there's a few words for how much I hate the New York Islanders.
19:38
SPEAKER_01: I I just I don't know, Steve, if there's any other franchise in sports, in any sport, where like literally all their worst moments came against the same team.
19:50
SPEAKER_01: Right?
19:51
SPEAKER_07: Uh is there any other situation like the Washington Capitals?
19:55
SPEAKER_07: We're the Washington Capitals to them.
19:57
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I I guess that's a probably the one.
20:02
SPEAKER_07: We beat them literally one time ever in the playoffs.
20:06
SPEAKER_07: And that was Brooks Orpik had to score a goal in game seven over time.
20:10
SPEAKER_07: I mean, you know, that's the only time.
20:12
SPEAKER_07: That's it.
20:13
SPEAKER_07: That's the list.
20:14
SPEAKER_01: I know it so in 1982, the the Penguins are playing the Islanders in the first round of the playoffs.
20:24
SPEAKER_01: And in 1982, the Islanders are two-time defending Stanley Cup champions.
20:29
SPEAKER_01: They're also the best team in the league in 1982, record-wise.
20:34
SPEAKER_01: And they had run won an NHL record 15 consecutive games that year.
20:40
SPEAKER_01: So, I mean, they're they're a dynasty in every sense of the word.
20:43
SPEAKER_01: They're by far the powerhouse team in the entire league.
20:46
SPEAKER_01: The Penguins, meanwhile, finished in fourth place in the Patrick Division.
20:50
SPEAKER_01: 43 points behind New York.
20:54
SPEAKER_01: So, I mean, it wasn't even, they weren't even in the same stratosphere.
20:58
SPEAKER_01: Gotta love the uh NHL like regular season setup, huh?
21:03
SPEAKER_01: Well, and and the it was so weird in the 80s because the NHL for a long time had 21 teams and 16 of them made the playoffs.
21:11
SPEAKER_01: So if you if you look at any other league or any other year, you know, and and you're only taking the five worst teams out, that means you're gonna put a lot of really bad teams in the playoffs.
21:21
SPEAKER_01: And again, the Penguins 43 points behind the Islanders.
21:24
SPEAKER_01: So uh the the other thing about the first round back then was it was a best of five, not a best of seven.
21:32
SPEAKER_01: And and I don't know if that was just because of the mismatches you traditionally had in those first round series or what, but it was only a best of five, and then the the subsequent rounds were best of sevens.
21:42
SPEAKER_01: So um the Islanders opened that series at Nassau Coliseum with two blowout wins against the Penguins.
21:49
SPEAKER_01: So so everybody's like, okay, this is going as planned.
21:52
SPEAKER_01: This is going to be a short series, they'll dispose of Pittsburgh quickly and be on their way to another championship.
21:58
SPEAKER_01: And and Eddie DeBartolo.
22:00
SPEAKER_01: The owner of the penguins even offers refunds to penguin fans because it was so lopsided, if you can believe that, or imagine an owner doing that today.
22:09
SPEAKER_01: He actually said, like, yeah, I'm sorry, you guys bought tickets for this.
22:12
SPEAKER_01: This is completely unfair.
22:14
SPEAKER_01: If you want to, if you want your money back, you can have it.
22:17
SPEAKER_01: So that's how bad it was.
22:19
SPEAKER_07: I I bet I'm sure Bob Nutting's doing that this year.
22:23
SPEAKER_01: Oh, I'm sure.
22:24
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I'm sure he would do, you know, he would yeah, uh I'm sure.
22:28
SPEAKER_01: Um the but what happens is the penguins shock everybody by winning game three and then game four at home, and then it sends the series back to Long Island for the deciding game five.
22:39
SPEAKER_01: And in game five, the Penguins have a three to two lead with two minutes left in the game.
22:45
SPEAKER_01: So literally two minutes left.
22:47
SPEAKER_01: They're on the precipice of maybe the biggest upset in NHL history up to that point.
22:53
SPEAKER_01: Uh I mean it really was because again, New York was the best team in the league, two-time defending champion, record winning streak, and and here it is, two minutes left, and the Penguins are gonna pull this off.
23:06
SPEAKER_01: Well, New York uh is is charging, they're trying to tie the game, and they dumped the puck into the corner of the Penguins' end, and Penguins defenseman Randy Carlisle, who had won the Norris trophy the year before, so he's he's no slouch of a defenseman.
23:20
SPEAKER_01: Uh, and then later, of course, he became kind of a jerk of a head coach.
23:24
SPEAKER_01: But uh he goes to retrieve the puck and it takes kind of a weird bounce because Nassau Coliseum, and it just kind of like hops right over a stick, and John Tonelli is charging at the net, and the puck literally just kind of comes right to him and he puts it in the net.
23:41
SPEAKER_01: That sends the game in overtime, and then in overtime, Tanelli gets the game winner.
23:46
SPEAKER_01: So the Islanders win, and the Penguins do not pull off the upset.
23:52
SPEAKER_01: And and here's a fun fact about that game.
23:55
SPEAKER_01: The Islanders were going to win the Stan Cup that year and the year after.
23:59
SPEAKER_01: So they won four Stanley Cups in a row.
24:02
SPEAKER_01: This game, this game was the only time in that four-year stretch of that dynasty that they even faced elimination.
24:10
SPEAKER_01: They literally never got to a game five or a game seven in any of those other series.
24:15
SPEAKER_01: This was the only time someone even took them to an elimination game.
24:18
SPEAKER_01: That's how dominant they were.
24:20
SPEAKER_01: And the penguins had them beat with two minutes left in the game.
24:23
SPEAKER_01: And Carlisle misplayed the puck and it didn't happen.
24:27
SPEAKER_01: And Carlisle says, you know, 40 years later that people still bring it up and that he and then it stings.
24:34
SPEAKER_07: Hey, another another fun fact about the Islanders is this is the last team to three-peat.
24:43
SPEAKER_07: Oh wow.
24:44
SPEAKER_07: Nobody's done it.
24:45
SPEAKER_07: Yeah, nobody's done it since whatever year this was.
24:48
SPEAKER_07: Okay.
24:49
SPEAKER_07: Second.
24:50
SPEAKER_07: This wasn't the three-peat year yet, so that would have been the next year.
24:53
SPEAKER_07: And I didn't realize, I thought they won the cup in 77 when they came back from their 03.
24:59
SPEAKER_07: I guess they didn't.
25:00
SPEAKER_01: No, they didn't.
25:01
SPEAKER_01: That year they that the Penguins blew a three games to none lead against them in 75.
25:07
SPEAKER_01: This happened in 82.
25:08
SPEAKER_01: And then the ironic thing was 11 years later, the exact same scenario was flipped where the penguins were the two-time defending champions.
25:16
SPEAKER_01: They had the record-winning streak, they were the president's trophy winners, but this time the Islanders upset them.
25:23
SPEAKER_01: So it just I can't say enough about just the the tragedy of Penguins versus Islanders and how horrible that's been for this franchise.
25:35
SPEAKER_07: Let's talk about the Capitals, the Penguins and the Capitals.
25:38
SPEAKER_07: Yeah, I'd much rather talk about that.
25:40
SPEAKER_07: It's much more fun.
25:41
SPEAKER_07: It's much more fun on that side of the yeah.
25:45
SPEAKER_01: Yep.
25:46
SPEAKER_01: Couldn't agree more.
25:48
SPEAKER_01: Okay, up next in our list of mistakes is this one.
25:52
SPEAKER_03: Here's the give to Jerome.
25:54
SPEAKER_03: He has it touched.
25:55
SPEAKER_03: Oh, the ball is fumbled.
25:56
SPEAKER_03: And the Colts pick it up.
25:58
SPEAKER_03: Nick Harper has it.
25:59
SPEAKER_03: He's running.
26:00
SPEAKER_03: And Big Ben can't.
26:01
SPEAKER_03: Oh, he tackles it.
26:02
SPEAKER_03: He tackles it at the 43 yard line.
26:04
SPEAKER_03: Jerome Bennett, who rarely fumbles, fumbles at the goal line.
26:08
SPEAKER_03: Nick Harper picks it up, and the Colts is still alive with 109 to go.
26:16
SPEAKER_01: Oh boy.
26:17
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
26:18
SPEAKER_01: So so I think, you know, most Pittsburgh sports fans will instantly recognize that play.
26:23
SPEAKER_01: It's the Steelers and the Colts in the 2005 AFC divisional playoffs.
26:28
SPEAKER_01: Colts are by far by far the best team in football that year.
26:31
SPEAKER_01: They actually almost went undefeated, and they had crushed the Steelers just a few weeks earlier in their stadium.
26:38
SPEAKER_01: Steelers were huge underdogs, uh, but they had a pretty good defense and a second-year quarterback named Ben Rothesberger.
26:46
SPEAKER_01: And sure enough, they they outplay Indianapolis.
26:48
SPEAKER_01: They find themselves in the lead late in the game.
26:51
SPEAKER_01: And a bunch of crazy things happen in the final five minutes of this game, including a very bad call and an interception that should have iced the game, but we won't go into all that.
27:00
SPEAKER_01: We actually did an entire episode just on this game, so by all means go back and listen to that if you haven't already.
27:06
SPEAKER_01: The bottom line is that the Steelers have the ball on the Colts' two-yard line.
27:10
SPEAKER_01: They're going to ice the game with a handoff to their dependable Hall of Fame, goal line back, thrown Bettis.
27:17
SPEAKER_01: He's hit uh and he fumbles, and the ball's picked up by a guy named Nick Harper, who is miraculously chased down by Ben Rothesberger to save the season for the Steelers.
27:28
SPEAKER_01: And then, of course, we all know what happens next.
27:29
SPEAKER_01: The idiot kicker misses the game-tying field goal, and the Steelers pull off a great upset, and then three weeks later, they capture the elusive one for the thumb in Detroit in Bettis' final ever game in his hometown.
27:42
SPEAKER_01: So, you know, there's not a lot more to say about this play or this season.
27:47
SPEAKER_01: Again, we we did a three-part episode on this season, so um uh not much else to say.
27:52
SPEAKER_01: I I will add two things.
27:54
SPEAKER_01: First of all, if if Harper scores on that play, if Ben doesn't catch him, then this play, I don't know if you agree, Steve.
28:02
SPEAKER_01: Like this has to be the biggest in-game mistake, not only in Pittsburgh sports history, but maybe sports history in general.
28:09
SPEAKER_07: It's up there with Ernest Byners fumble, that's for sure.
28:12
SPEAKER_07: I mean Yeah.
28:14
SPEAKER_07: I mean that that that's yeah, or I can't think of like anything else.
28:18
SPEAKER_07: Bill Buckner.
28:20
SPEAKER_07: Yeah, like one of the yeah, yeah.
28:22
SPEAKER_07: I mean, that's that's that's a rough one.
28:25
SPEAKER_07: Uh and yeah, I I it's great to hear Tunch Yockin too on the call because I I forgot I kind of haven't heard it in a while, and just him going, Oh my gosh.
28:34
SPEAKER_07: Yeah.
28:35
SPEAKER_07: And then Tunch was Tunch was awesome back back when he was in his prime and healthy.
28:39
SPEAKER_07: And God bless that guy.
28:42
SPEAKER_07: Yeah, it was fun to hear him.
28:43
SPEAKER_07: He was such a good uh good uh color announcer and such a great part of Steelers stuff.
28:48
SPEAKER_07: So I'm glad you played that too.
28:50
SPEAKER_07: That was nice to hear Tunch's voice again.
28:54
SPEAKER_07: Even though that memory's painful, but the result you know makes it a little less, you know.
28:59
SPEAKER_01: It does.
29:00
SPEAKER_01: It it's it's we can all look at it and kind of breathe a sigh of relief now, even though we were, you know, people were literally having heart attacks at the time.
29:09
SPEAKER_01: Uh the the other thing I'll say is uh, and and Steve, you talked about this at length in the episode we did, but Nick Harper cutting to the middle of the field rather than running to the sidelines.
29:20
SPEAKER_01: Uh if if there's an Indianapolis sports podcast out there, that has to be in their top ten, right?
29:28
SPEAKER_01: Because all he had to do was just cut to the side and he cut to the middle, and that's the only reason Ben caught him.
29:34
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
29:36
SPEAKER_01: So fortunately for us, you know, there was a mistake on the Colt side, too.
29:40
SPEAKER_01: And then, of course, you know, the kicker missing, and he missed badly, too.
29:44
SPEAKER_01: Uh was like a Vanderjacked.
29:46
SPEAKER_01: I mean, he missed by a mile.
29:47
SPEAKER_01: So fortunately, it did not cost uh the Steelers a win or a Super Bowl title.
29:54
SPEAKER_01: This was much more costly.
29:58
SPEAKER_05: Watching a lot of his records get shattered.
30:01
SPEAKER_05: Trouble on the extra point.
30:04
SPEAKER_05: Andrew Jinoko, the holder, picks it up, but he won't get there.
30:09
SPEAKER_05: He just put the ball down and slipped out of his hand.
30:12
SPEAKER_05: Perfect snap.
30:15
SPEAKER_01: So so 2009, uh pit coach Gabe Wansted, he's in his fifth season.
30:22
SPEAKER_01: And by this time, he's he's really built a good program.
30:26
SPEAKER_01: Pitt goes 9-1 to start that season.
30:28
SPEAKER_01: They ranked number eight in the country, and the last game of the season is at home against Cincinnati.
30:35
SPEAKER_01: Cincinnati was undefeated that year under Brian Kelly.
30:38
SPEAKER_01: Uh, and Pitt's only loss came out of conference.
30:41
SPEAKER_01: It was to NC State.
30:43
SPEAKER_01: So if Pitt beat Cincinnati in that finale.
30:46
SPEAKER_07: Of course it was.
30:48
SPEAKER_01: Yes.
30:49
SPEAKER_01: Of course it was.
30:50
SPEAKER_01: That's another one.
30:51
SPEAKER_07: Was that the Russell Wilson game?
30:52
SPEAKER_01: It was it was, and nobody would even remember that Russell Wilson played for NC State, but we do because of that game.
30:58
SPEAKER_07: I I remember, I remember that game.
31:00
SPEAKER_07: Yep.
31:00
SPEAKER_01: Because he ended up transferring to Wisconsin.
31:02
SPEAKER_01: But yeah, anyway, that's that's NC State.
31:06
SPEAKER_01: They're in they're in the same conference now.
31:07
SPEAKER_01: In 2009, they were not, and so that game really didn't matter.
31:11
SPEAKER_01: And the game that mattered was the finale against Cincinnati.
31:13
SPEAKER_01: Whoever won that game is gonna win the Big East and go to the Sugar Bowl, which was pretty big.
31:20
SPEAKER_01: Uh, and and we covered this before, and and we said it at the time, you know, in terms of what was at stake, we both agreed, Steve, that it it it was the biggest game for Pitt since the Dan Marino era in terms of what was at stake.
31:33
SPEAKER_01: Uh so the game itself was a shootout.
31:36
SPEAKER_01: Deion Lewis for Pitt, he rushes for 194 yards and three touchdowns on 47 carries.
31:42
SPEAKER_01: And that was a cold day.
31:43
SPEAKER_07: I remember that.
31:44
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, it was a cold day.
31:45
SPEAKER_01: It was snowing, it was, you know, it was, and he just carried the team on his shoulders.
31:50
SPEAKER_01: Uh Tony Pike was a Cincinnati quarterback, he carried his team on his shoulders.
31:54
SPEAKER_01: He he has a great game, 300 plus yards, three touchdowns.
31:59
SPEAKER_01: Pitt jumps out to a 31-10 lead, but Cincinnati comes all the way back to tie it.
32:03
SPEAKER_01: And then Bill Stahl, the quarterback for Pitt, he leads them down the field on a 67-yard drive.
32:08
SPEAKER_01: And with 96 seconds left in the game, Deion Lewis takes it in for the go-ahead touchdown.
32:13
SPEAKER_01: And it's a great moment.
32:14
SPEAKER_01: You know, Pitt takes the lead with just over a minute left.
32:18
SPEAKER_01: Uh Lewis goes over to the sidelines.
32:20
SPEAKER_01: Tony Dorsett standing over there, and he hugs Lewis coming off the field.
32:24
SPEAKER_01: So, so now you're you're at this point where, okay, Pitt's got the lead.
32:29
SPEAKER_01: And maybe Cincinnati can come back and tie it, but but that's the best they can do is tie it.
32:34
SPEAKER_01: But Pitt botches the extra point, and it's not even that the kicker missed it.
32:40
SPEAKER_01: It was a perfect snap, but Andrew Jinoko, who is the holder, he just has the ball slip out of his hands, and they don't even get the kick off.
32:49
SPEAKER_01: So now Pitt's only up by six instead of seven, and sure enough, Cincinnati drives down the field, scores a touchdown in the final 30 seconds, make the extra point on their side, and now they're the Biggie's champions.
33:02
SPEAKER_01: And it was really a painful loss.
33:04
SPEAKER_01: Pitt would have played against Tim Tebow in Florida in the Sugar Bowl, and and it didn't happen because of an extra point.
33:13
SPEAKER_01: And not again, missing an extra point to lose the conference championship would have been heartbreaking.
33:20
SPEAKER_01: But, you know, extra points, people miss extra points.
33:23
SPEAKER_01: That happens, especially in college.
33:25
SPEAKER_01: But to just drop the ball, the holder just dropped the ball, it can't snapped right in his hands, and he just dropped it.
33:32
SPEAKER_01: Uh Junoko was crushed.
33:34
SPEAKER_01: He he was a sophomore walk-on.
33:36
SPEAKER_01: He had turned on scholarships from other schools to walk on at pit because, and Steve, you talked about this when we we covered this game once before.
33:43
SPEAKER_01: You know, his his thought process was he wanted to be a coach, and and so he walked on at Pitt because he thought he could learn a lot from Dave Wanstead, who had who had coached in the NFL a lot.
33:54
SPEAKER_01: And and sure enough, Jinoco today is is one of those up-and-coming, you know, could be an offensive coordinator or a head coach someday in the NFL.
34:02
SPEAKER_01: So I I think, you know, I I think he shook off that mistake and and seems to be having a good coaching career now.
34:09
SPEAKER_01: But boy, did that hurt.
34:11
SPEAKER_07: Yeah, and I I don't I mean like you said, Andrew Junoko, he was a big star up in Clearfield, I think.
34:17
SPEAKER_07: And uh they they went they I think they won a double A, class double A title, and I think his father is a high school, like a big high school football coach.
34:25
SPEAKER_07: Like you said, his goal was to become a football coach, and that's why he came here because he could have gone to a lower level school, but you know, thankfully nobody really remembers that or holds it against him because it's pit.
34:41
SPEAKER_01: All right, let's circle right back to the New York freaking Islanders, and again down to Tristan Jari.
34:50
SPEAKER_04: Steal! James Bailey! Steal! James Bailey! on the turnover in double overtime.
34:59
SPEAKER_04: The New York Islanders have won game five.
35:05
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, so this one's this one's pretty recent.
35:07
SPEAKER_01: Uh 2021, the NHL has a shortened season due to the COVID pandemic, and and no one's really quite sure what to expect out of the Penguins because in recent years they have not fared well in the postseason, and they're kind of in the middle of an overhaul.
35:23
SPEAKER_01: Uh Jim Rutherford, who was the general manager, abruptly resigns during the season, and he's replaced by, and I still can't even say this, he's replaced by Ron Hextahl.
35:33
SPEAKER_01: The Pens end up having a pretty good season.
35:36
SPEAKER_01: They actually surprise a lot of people.
35:38
SPEAKER_01: Uh they win, Steve, you talked about those reconfigured divisions.
35:41
SPEAKER_01: They win that Eastern Division.
35:44
SPEAKER_01: It's their first division title in seven years.
35:46
SPEAKER_01: And sure enough, their first round opponent is the Islanders, and everybody knows the history, like we just talked about.
35:53
SPEAKER_01: But boy, the Penguins, the Penguins should be the better team here.
35:57
SPEAKER_01: Well, it's it's it ends up being a fairly evenly matched series.
36:01
SPEAKER_01: The the series is tied two games apiece, and the pivotal game five is in Pittsburgh, and that game goes back and forth.
36:09
SPEAKER_01: It goes into overtime, no one scores, and now it goes into a second overtime.
36:14
SPEAKER_01: So, you know, with the series tied two, two and in double overtime, you're basically at the point there where the next goal could effectively end the series.
36:23
SPEAKER_01: It's not going to end the series, but but to lose that that deciding game in double overtime, uh, especially if you're the Penguins having to go on the road for game six, that's going to be hard to overcome.
36:36
SPEAKER_01: So the next goal is going to be big.
36:38
SPEAKER_01: The Penguins goaltender is Tristan Jari.
36:42
SPEAKER_01: Uh the Penguins had anointed him to replace Matt Murray.
36:45
SPEAKER_01: They had traded Matt Murray over the offseason, and they believed in him so much that they actually uh assigned him to a three-year contract extension before the season.
36:54
SPEAKER_01: And Jari had not been having a great series up until that point.
36:58
SPEAKER_01: He really hadn't.
36:59
SPEAKER_01: But in that game, he was holding the Islanders at bay.
37:02
SPEAKER_01: He wasn't playing too bad.
37:04
SPEAKER_01: And in the second overtime, there's a play where the Pens try to set up Ifgeny Malkin at the point, but the pass goes past him and it trickles all the way down the ice to Jari.
37:13
SPEAKER_01: Whatever, no big deal.
37:15
SPEAKER_01: That happens all the time.
37:16
SPEAKER_01: So Jari has it on a stick, and he should send it up the boards to one of his teammates.
37:22
SPEAKER_01: Or he could even, I mean, he could have even fallen on the puck.
37:25
SPEAKER_01: I mean, that wouldn't have been a great idea.
37:27
SPEAKER_01: But instead, he does the absolute worst thing possible, and he throws the puck right to the middle of the ice.
37:35
SPEAKER_01: And Josh Bailey from New York is skating right at Jari.
37:38
SPEAKER_01: Jari passes it right to him.
37:41
SPEAKER_01: Then, to make matters worse, Jari panics and tries to poke the puck away from Bailey instead of staying in his net to try to make a save.
37:49
SPEAKER_01: And Bailey scores.
37:51
SPEAKER_01: He ends the game in double overtime.
37:53
SPEAKER_01: Jarrie then has a horrendous game six, which I think he got pulled out of in the second period.
37:59
SPEAKER_01: And the Penguins are eliminated.
38:01
SPEAKER_01: And it it's just one of the worst plays and worst mistakes that that you know in in Penguins history.
38:10
SPEAKER_01: I mean, he just threw the puck right to him at the most critical time of the series.
38:14
SPEAKER_01: And I think what made people upset, Steve, was you know, when when they did interviews and stuff with Jari after after this, he was he was just kind of aloof.
38:24
SPEAKER_01: And you know, like they like they asked him, like, what would you do differently?
38:27
SPEAKER_01: And uh, and he's kind of like, uh, I don't know, maybe just maybe just leave the puck where it is.
38:33
SPEAKER_01: Like, like he didn't, you know, you wanted him to to say something that that made it sound like he understood the gravity of what happened.
38:42
SPEAKER_01: That made you think, maybe, okay, I'm gonna bounce back from this in game six, because there was still a game six.
38:47
SPEAKER_01: And he just kind of was like, Oh, I guess I messed up.
38:51
SPEAKER_07: I I I like is that your Tristan Jari impersonation?
38:54
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah, I'm Tristan Jari.
38:56
SPEAKER_00: I threw the puck to the middle of the ice when there's a guy charging right at me.
39:00
SPEAKER_00: Because I don't like to win hockey games.
39:02
SPEAKER_00: Oh well.
39:05
SPEAKER_07: Well, uh Tristan Jari really wasn't that good, quite honestly.
39:10
SPEAKER_07: It I I I'm not I it just when I lost faith in Kristen Jari was when the Penguins had a seven to nothing lead to the Devils and almost blew it in the regular season.
39:21
SPEAKER_07: And and uh one of those goals came on just like he did in this game.
39:25
SPEAKER_07: He was the Devils had an empty net and he tried to shoot the puck into the empty net to score a goal.
39:30
SPEAKER_07: So he was trying to be uh all cool and he gave up another goal and they almost gave up a seven-goal lead.
39:36
SPEAKER_07: I think the penguins actually won that game seven to six.
39:39
SPEAKER_07: So I was kind of done with Jari there, but the penguins weren't, so and I bet they wish they had.
39:46
SPEAKER_07: Uh I'm not sure if that's one of the reasons that uh Jim Rotherford left was because that was a rumors that he wanted to trade for Fleury and who he wanted to trade for, I guess the Penguins wouldn't go for it.
39:59
SPEAKER_01: So yeah, yeah, who who knows?
40:04
SPEAKER_01: Jory's definitely I I agree.
40:06
SPEAKER_01: I don't think uh Jari is the answer long term, and I think Jerry proved that.
40:11
SPEAKER_01: And again, just just that whole, you know, aloofness or like you say, trying to trying to score a goal instead of protecting the lead.
40:20
SPEAKER_01: It's I don't know.
40:21
SPEAKER_01: Maybe he maybe he matures, maybe he becomes a good goalie eventually.
40:25
SPEAKER_01: On to another kind of aloof Pittsburgh athlete making a huge mistake at a big moment.
40:30
SPEAKER_04: Pittsburgh with the ball down by four.
40:33
SPEAKER_04: Minden hall lots of football.
40:36
SPEAKER_04: Picked up by Bishop.
40:42
SPEAKER_01: In 2010, the Steelers are in the Super Bowl against the Green Bay Packers, and they're looking to win their third championship in six years, but the first half doesn't go well.
40:53
SPEAKER_01: The Packers jumped to a huge lead, and the Steelers have no answer for Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who to this day is you know the only game of importance where Rodgers actually won.
41:08
SPEAKER_01: But you know, the Steelers do start a comeback in the second half.
41:11
SPEAKER_01: Well, it's true.
41:12
SPEAKER_01: What what name one other big game that Aaron Rodgers won in his life?
41:16
SPEAKER_07: Uh the Pro Bowl.
41:18
SPEAKER_07: I don't know.
41:19
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
41:20
SPEAKER_01: Well, he he's lost four NFC Championships games since then, but it's it's okay.
41:25
SPEAKER_01: It's all the organization's fault.
41:28
SPEAKER_01: But but anyway, let's just guess let's get back on topic here.
41:32
SPEAKER_01: Uh in that Super Bowl, Super Bowl 45, the Steelers uh mount a comeback in the second half.
41:37
SPEAKER_01: And at the start of the fourth quarter, they they cut the lead to 21-17.
41:41
SPEAKER_01: And they're actually driving for the go-ahead score.
41:44
SPEAKER_01: They hand the ball off to Richard Mendenhall, who was their leading rusher that year.
41:49
SPEAKER_01: He's hit by Clay Matthews, and the ball pops out.
41:52
SPEAKER_01: Green Bay recovers, and that's kind of it.
41:56
SPEAKER_01: The Steelers never recover from that play, and they go on to lose the Super Bowl.
42:00
SPEAKER_01: And the the tough thing with Mendenhall was yeah, he had a lot of natural talent.
42:05
SPEAKER_01: He was a first-round pick, after all.
42:07
SPEAKER_01: But like he never quite seemed like football was his was his favorite thing in the world.
42:12
SPEAKER_01: Um, he really wanted to be a writer, and and I use that word aloof.
42:17
SPEAKER_01: I mean, he was always kind of aloof, and and you know, he he upset a lot of people with the tweet uh sympathizing with Osama bin Laden after the United States had taken out bin Laden.
42:29
SPEAKER_01: He he kind of said like he was very sympathetic to bin Laden's cause, and that wasn't very smart.
42:36
SPEAKER_01: That wasn't the only time he was kind of on the wrong side of a tweet.
42:40
SPEAKER_01: He also, a couple years later, you know, uh took Antonio Brown's side in that whole Antonio Brown Ben Rothesburger beef.
42:48
SPEAKER_01: You know, so so he just Richard Mendenhall just liked to take the sides of people that were, you know, way in the wrong and were proven to be way in the wrong.
42:57
SPEAKER_01: So just not the best judgment on his part.
43:00
SPEAKER_01: Uh he also had a fumbling problem earlier in his career.
43:04
SPEAKER_01: Uh Heinz Ward once placed a ball in his locker and put a little note on it saying take Mendenhall's ball away and get$100 for from him.
43:12
SPEAKER_01: And and so Mendenhall was then required to carry the ball everywhere he went until the team's next game.
43:18
SPEAKER_01: So so I mean it was a it was a history with him where he did fumble and then he fumbles in the biggest game of his life.
43:26
SPEAKER_07: Yes, Richard Mendenhall, talented running back, fumbleitis.
43:33
SPEAKER_07: He definitely had a case of the fumble litus, so I don't know what to uh do with good old Richard there.
43:40
SPEAKER_07: I I really liked him.
43:41
SPEAKER_07: I liked him in college and I liked him as a pro, but he just never really worked out.
43:46
SPEAKER_07: He did get hit really was that that was a play he got hit by Matthews really hard.
43:51
SPEAKER_01: It was.
43:52
SPEAKER_07: It was, but it is completely I think that's more a claim Matthews making a play than Richard Vendenhall fumbling, but
44:00
SPEAKER_01: I think I think if it just wasn't him, if that were Bettis or Willie Parker or you know, somebody that that again, it was just Mannenhall just kind of like, oh, whatever.
44:10
SPEAKER_01: Like it was just kind of his attitude.
44:12
SPEAKER_01: I mean, his last game as a Steeler uh was that game against the Chargers where he didn't show up to the stadium because he didn't feel like showing up to the stadium.
44:20
SPEAKER_01: He he just he wasn't he wasn't a team guy, he wasn't a winner, and and I think that play just kind of summarized everything.
44:28
SPEAKER_01: It's like the fourth quarter of the Super Bowl, you're in their territory, you you could potentially take the lead, and then he just can't hang on to the ball.
44:36
SPEAKER_07: Well, Ben had a chance too late in that game to drive him down and tie it up just like he had the Super Bowl before, and he threw high to Mike Wallace, if I remember on that.
44:47
SPEAKER_01: So he did, but that wouldn't have been necessary, HUD, you know, fumbly and not have fumbled the ball.
44:53
SPEAKER_01: So it is what it is.
44:55
SPEAKER_01: And and again, maybe the Steelers don't win that game, but it just it just hurts for him to fumble.
45:01
SPEAKER_01: All right, next on the list is this one.
45:05
SPEAKER_05: Jumping to the plate, green on the rumble mummy, booted by Wing Pendleton to third on the play.
45:15
SPEAKER_05: A man who has made only flip the ring of the season.
45:20
SPEAKER_05: makes his second here tonight, and it could turn out to be the biggest error of his life.
45:30
SPEAKER_01: And it did turn out to be that's him mcair.
45:33
SPEAKER_07: Where's McKayre at?
45:35
SPEAKER_01: McCarver, you mean?
45:37
SPEAKER_07: Uh yeah, McIntyre McCarver.
45:40
SPEAKER_07: Sorry, I misquoted Dion.
45:42
SPEAKER_07: Sorry, you can't call him Dion.
45:43
SPEAKER_07: Mr.
45:44
SPEAKER_07: Sanders.
45:45
SPEAKER_07: Yeah.
45:47
SPEAKER_01: So 1992, the Pirates are playing in the NLCS for the third straight year, and this time it looks like they're finally going to make the World Series because they have a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the ninth inning against the Atlanta Braves.
46:00
SPEAKER_01: Doug Drabeck's pitching a masterpiece.
46:02
SPEAKER_01: All they have to do is get the final three outs.
46:06
SPEAKER_01: Terry Pendlinen leads off the inning with a double, and now David Justice is at the plate for Atlanta.
46:11
SPEAKER_01: And he hits a ground ball to second, uh, which is booted by Pirates second baseman Jose Wayne.
46:19
SPEAKER_01: And it proves to be huge because as we detailed in the episode we did about this game, again, go back and listen if you haven't, uh, and about this era in Pirates baseball.
46:30
SPEAKER_01: Uh, the Pirates were able to get two more outs before Francisco Cabrera gets the hit that wins the series.
46:36
SPEAKER_01: So if Lane makes that play, the Pirates win the pennant.
46:40
SPEAKER_01: Also, if you look at the future, and everybody knew it at the time.
46:43
SPEAKER_01: It was not like we're just looking back on this years later.
46:47
SPEAKER_01: This was their last chance to be competitive because of the economics of baseball.
46:51
SPEAKER_01: They knew they were going to lose Barry Bonds and Greybeck and everybody else.
46:55
SPEAKER_01: So everything hinged on that inning.
46:57
SPEAKER_01: Also, the immense level of improbability of this happening.
47:02
SPEAKER_01: Jose Leand was on this team strictly for his defense.
47:07
SPEAKER_01: He was a 235 hitter that season with no home runs and 468 at bats.
47:14
SPEAKER_01: There are pitchers who hit better than that.
47:17
SPEAKER_01: I mean, he just he he was totally worthless on offense.
47:21
SPEAKER_01: But but Leand was a brilliant defensive second baseman.
47:26
SPEAKER_01: And 1992 was his best season.
47:31
SPEAKER_01: The gold glove award, if you know what that is, in every position in baseball, every year they give out a gold glove award for the best defensive player at that position.
47:40
SPEAKER_01: And that had gone for nine consecutive years to the second baseman for the Chicago Cubs, a guy named Ryan Sandberg, who's in the Hall of Fame.
47:48
SPEAKER_07: Do they do American League and a National League on that?
47:51
SPEAKER_07: Yeah, that's what I thought.
47:52
SPEAKER_07: Okay.
47:52
SPEAKER_07: So the National League.
47:54
SPEAKER_07: But you are right.
47:54
SPEAKER_07: Ryan Sandberg had that like permanently bolted to his mantle at that point.
47:59
SPEAKER_07: Yeah.
48:00
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
48:00
SPEAKER_01: He was just the best defensive second baseman in baseball.
48:03
SPEAKER_01: That was an automatic award every year in the National League.
48:05
SPEAKER_01: It went to Ryan Sandberg.
48:07
SPEAKER_01: Well, guess what?
48:08
SPEAKER_01: In 1992, Lean was so good that year with his defense that they had no choice but to break that streak and give it to Jose Lean.
48:16
SPEAKER_01: Like literally, he's the first guy in a decade to win that award at second base, other than Ryan Sandberg, because that's how good Jose Lean was at playing second base.
48:28
SPEAKER_01: And the Pirates, you know, they wasted a spot in the batting order on a team that won three straight division titles, right?
48:36
SPEAKER_01: That were stacked, that had all these great hitters.
48:39
SPEAKER_01: And they wasted a spot in the batting order for three years in a row just because he was that good on defense.
48:46
SPEAKER_01: They were willing to sacrifice the number eight spot in the order because of his defense.
48:51
SPEAKER_01: And then when he has to make a play on a routine ground ball that he's fielded a thousand times, and then he makes a play on 999 of those times, and the most important inning of his career, he makes an error.
49:04
SPEAKER_07: Yeah, Jose leaned.
49:06
SPEAKER_07: Uh I liked Jose.
49:07
SPEAKER_07: I like Chico, though.
49:08
SPEAKER_07: I I'm I'm I don't remember him being that I mean he wasn't the greatest hitter in the world, but boy, you're like, I don't know.
49:15
SPEAKER_07: Maybe it's just 235 doesn't sound that bad when you look at the current pirates lineup, though.
49:23
SPEAKER_01: Well, come on.
49:23
SPEAKER_01: That's that's that's a little bit of a low bar.
49:28
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
49:29
SPEAKER_01: So well and again, it just that was that was the price of business.
49:33
SPEAKER_01: They were okay with that.
49:34
SPEAKER_01: They were okay with him, you know, getting almost never getting on base because it's okay, we'll make up for it in other parts of the lineup.
49:42
SPEAKER_01: He's just he can't be what he does on defense can't be replaced at a critical position.
49:47
SPEAKER_01: And it is a critical position because that's where ground balls typically end up, that are shortstop, you know, and and all and again, justice hit the ball.
49:56
SPEAKER_01: It wasn't an easy play.
49:58
SPEAKER_01: I it wasn't like Bill Buckner rolled through his legs.
50:00
SPEAKER_01: You know, he did have to kind of reach down and field it.
50:03
SPEAKER_01: But my goodness, again, 999 times out of a thousand, he makes that play.
50:09
SPEAKER_01: And really, most second basemen, not just really good ones, it's it should have been a routine play.
50:14
SPEAKER_01: They should have got justice out, and then that it never comes down to Francisco Cabrera.
50:20
SPEAKER_01: The game's over when when I think it was Brian Hunter pops up, and it it just it hurts.
50:26
SPEAKER_01: It hurts to this day.
50:28
SPEAKER_01: Uh Lean's personal life sadly kind of spirals after out of control uh a few years later.
50:34
SPEAKER_01: He struggles with cocaine addiction, his wife files a restraining order against him, and he actually spends a year in prison.
50:42
SPEAKER_01: I I couldn't find much about where he is today.
50:44
SPEAKER_01: There are some sources that say he kind of got his life together and he's living quietly in his home country of Puerto Rico.
50:51
SPEAKER_01: So I hope that's true.
50:52
SPEAKER_01: Um I liked I liked Tozaline too, Steve.
50:55
SPEAKER_01: I mean, he was a great player, and I, you know, you don't want to define his legacy by one moment, but boy, just all the brilliant plays he made, all the all the great defense, and when they needed him the most, he couldn't make the play.
51:08
SPEAKER_01: And it just that's sports for you, I guess.
51:12
SPEAKER_07: Puerto Rico's not a bad place to hide out, so kind of warm weather, right?
51:18
SPEAKER_01: Good weather, yep.
51:20
SPEAKER_07: Yeah.
51:20
unknown: Yeah.
51:22
SPEAKER_01: Okay, here's our next unfortunate mistake.
51:30
SPEAKER_03: Intercepted and Larry Brown has a shot and a touchdown.
51:34
SPEAKER_03: And Brown again, not even near the play.
51:37
SPEAKER_03: The ball turned right to him.
51:39
SPEAKER_05: Larry Brown with two interceptions.
51:41
SPEAKER_05: He just stood there, both of them throwing right at him.
51:46
SPEAKER_01: He just stood there, both of them and throwing right at him.
51:51
SPEAKER_01: What else is there to even say?
51:53
SPEAKER_01: Thanks for listening, everybody.
51:55
SPEAKER_01: And uh I mean, yeah, uh so yeah, Neil O'Donnell throwing the the interception in the Super Bowl, the second interception in the Super Bowl.
52:04
SPEAKER_01: Um it's it's the moment that it's just the the standard bearer for all Pittsburgh sports mistakes.
52:11
SPEAKER_01: You know, when Tristan Jari made that turnover, that was that was all the articles and everything.
52:17
SPEAKER_01: You know, it Neil O'Donnell-esque, you know, where does this rank?
52:21
SPEAKER_01: The background here, Super Bowl 30 in Tempe, Arizona, the Steelers and the Dallas Cowboys.
52:26
SPEAKER_01: The Steelers are on the verge of taking the lead in the third quarter when Neil O'Donnell throws just a terrible interception to Cowboys defensive back Larry Brown, who's covering grass.
52:37
SPEAKER_01: Uh and and what happened on that first interception, the Cowboys blitzed, and O'Donnell just threw it to a spot on the field where there was there was no black shirts within miles.
52:47
SPEAKER_01: I I mean to this day, I I still don't.
52:50
SPEAKER_01: I I said this in we did an episode about the 95 Steelers, and I said it then.
52:55
SPEAKER_01: I don't understand why Larry Brown was at that spot on the field.
52:58
SPEAKER_01: There were people who said, oh, the game was fixed and blah, blah, blah.
53:01
SPEAKER_01: And I never bought that.
53:03
SPEAKER_01: But at the same time, it's really hard to explain why Larry Brown was standing on a spot in the field where there was nobody within miles.
53:11
SPEAKER_01: Uh, and and even harder to explain why O'Donnell threw the ball to that spot.
53:16
SPEAKER_01: So Dallas takes, they end up scoring off that turnover.
53:19
SPEAKER_01: They take a 22-7 lead.
53:22
SPEAKER_01: Uh, but the Steelers fight back, they get a field goal, they they do a surprise onside kick that they recover, and then Bam Morris scores a touchdown to make it 20 to 17.
53:31
SPEAKER_01: And now they have the ball back with four minutes left, down by three.
53:35
SPEAKER_01: They have all the momentum.
53:36
SPEAKER_01: The Cowboys are going backwards.
53:38
SPEAKER_01: They literally have no answer for the Steelers at this point.
53:41
SPEAKER_01: And it's going to be this great moment in history for Donald.
53:45
SPEAKER_01: Uh, he's going to win the Super Bowl.
53:46
SPEAKER_01: He's going to interrupt the Dallas Cowboys dynasty.
53:50
SPEAKER_01: And, you know, instead, we all know what happens next.
53:52
SPEAKER_01: He throws another interception to Brown.
53:55
SPEAKER_01: And that second interception, I mean, there's a little more debate as to whether Neil threw a bad pass or Andre Hastings, the receiver for the Steelers, ran the wrong route.
54:04
SPEAKER_01: But I I've always maintained that even if Hastings did run the wrong route, O'Donnell didn't need to throw that pass.
54:10
SPEAKER_01: Again, it was a blitz, and he just unloaded it quickly, which was not his his you know, his MO.
54:18
SPEAKER_01: So the Cowboys win the game.
54:19
SPEAKER_01: Brown wins the absolute cheapest Super Bowl MVP award ever.
54:23
SPEAKER_01: And then O'Donnell runs away and signs a huge contract with the Jets in the offseason and then never again has very much success as an NFL player.
54:32
SPEAKER_01: And and and kind of like Jose Lean, Steve, this one it's ironic because uh, you know, like again, Jose Lean never made errors.
54:43
SPEAKER_01: Neil O'Donnell never threw dangerous passes.
54:46
SPEAKER_01: O'Donnell would take sacks.
54:49
SPEAKER_01: O'Donnell just he wasn't a gunslinger.
54:50
SPEAKER_01: He he was the complete opposite of whatever a gunslinger is.
54:53
SPEAKER_01: He only threw the ball when it was safe.
54:56
SPEAKER_01: And here he is in the Super Bowl twice, you know, getting blitzed and just being like, uh-uh-oh, boom, and throwing the ball.
55:03
SPEAKER_01: And and just to just to do that in the biggest game of his life.
55:09
SPEAKER_01: Just just what can you say?
55:15
SPEAKER_07: It's Neil.
55:16
SPEAKER_07: Neil.
55:17
SPEAKER_07: Um I'm not sure, like maybe maybe just panics under pressure.
55:24
SPEAKER_07: Maybe that's what Neil O'Donnell, you know, he was never like he was never like a great quarterback.
55:29
SPEAKER_07: He was kind of like uh Jeff Haustetler or who else, like uh I don't know.
55:35
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, like a another like Brad Johnson.
55:38
SPEAKER_01: Guys, guys that have won the Super Bowl with a good defense and a good running game and and a game manager.
55:43
SPEAKER_01: He was he was a very and he had a good season that year.
55:46
SPEAKER_01: Like people forget that.
55:47
SPEAKER_01: He had a really because they they didn't they'd kind of gone away from that philosophy of you know running in defense.
55:53
SPEAKER_01: Their defense kind of had holes in it because Rod Woodson got hurt.
55:57
SPEAKER_01: And Neil actually had a um you know, was they were playing a lot of five wide receiver sets.
56:02
SPEAKER_01: He had a good year that year, and and and the Steelers, they just they had that game, they had it, and he threw it away.
56:12
SPEAKER_07: Yeah, I this one is really like people really are still upset about this one, and that happened what 30 years ago.
56:20
SPEAKER_07: So I guess that would have been our one for the thumb.
56:24
SPEAKER_01: So and and to beat Dallas, I mean it doesn't they they beat Dallas twice in the 70s.
56:32
SPEAKER_01: And and everybody hated this that 90s Dallas team.
56:36
SPEAKER_01: I mean, Michael Irvin and Deion Sanders, and you know, and and that was after they had run Jimmy Johnson out of town.
56:41
SPEAKER_01: Mr.
56:42
SPEAKER_01: Sanders, yeah, coach.
56:43
SPEAKER_01: I thought he wanted to be Coach Sanders, yeah.
56:46
SPEAKER_01: You know, and or Coach Prime or whatever you wanted to be called.
56:49
SPEAKER_01: But but I mean, just you know, that's whenever um who is that who's the guy that was coaching that team for that?
56:56
SPEAKER_01: Uh Barry Switzer.
56:57
SPEAKER_07: Barry Switzer, the guy from Oklahoma.
56:59
SPEAKER_01: Oh yeah, we did it, baby.
57:02
SPEAKER_01: We did oh, I just wanted to punch that guy in the face.
57:04
SPEAKER_01: How about Lewis?
57:09
SPEAKER_01: It just hurts.
57:12
SPEAKER_07: Yeah, Jerry Jones owned the team, so yeah, there's a lot not to like about Big D there.
57:18
SPEAKER_01: Well, and and and they were blowing us out in the first half.
57:20
SPEAKER_01: Not blowing us out, they were it was only 10 to 7 at halftime.
57:24
SPEAKER_01: They they were definitely outplaying us in the first half, but then we got our we kind of you know calmed down, and and I I don't know.
57:32
SPEAKER_01: I I again you never know what's gonna happen.
57:34
SPEAKER_01: And and but the Sea O's only needed a field goal there.
57:37
SPEAKER_01: And I'm I'm the way the game was slanting, I'm quite certain they would have at least gotten a field goal range.
57:44
SPEAKER_01: And you know, it's and if Neil throws one interception, you know, again, you're down, you're trying to come back, and you throw an interception, that's one thing.
57:53
SPEAKER_01: But he threw it to the same guy twice, and both times you heard Dick Enberg and Phil Sims say it in the clip.
57:59
SPEAKER_01: There's like there's nobody even on that side of the field.
58:01
SPEAKER_01: He just throws it, right?
58:02
SPEAKER_01: It's not like Larry Brown makes one of those plays where he like jumps in front of the receiver, right?
58:07
SPEAKER_01: Or he breaks on the ball, he's just standing there.
58:10
SPEAKER_01: And I I don't know.
58:11
SPEAKER_01: I like what else can you say?
58:13
SPEAKER_01: It's just one of the one of the worst.
58:15
SPEAKER_07: I think if deal two would have like stayed here and like, you know, maybe taking the team to another Super Bowl and won a Super Bowl, people have kind of been more forgiving.
58:25
SPEAKER_07: So but I guess after like the year before the remember they had that fourth and three sign, and then that he maybe he just felt he would never leave led this down.
58:34
SPEAKER_07: And the Steelers weren't didn't sign big free agents either.
58:38
SPEAKER_01: So yeah, and the Jets paid him a ton of money, which was you know typical Jets being stupid, and you know, then they went one and fifteen the next year.
58:48
SPEAKER_01: So um yeah, he was gonna take the big money, and it it's I think Rich Kotite was still the Rich Kotight.
58:56
SPEAKER_01: Right.
58:56
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
58:57
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, and and I agree.
58:58
SPEAKER_01: If he would have stayed, I don't even think he needed to win a Super Bowl.
59:00
SPEAKER_01: I think if he just would have stayed here for four more seasons and gotten to the Steelers to the playoffs, but never got back to the Super Bowl, I think it would have been uh you're right.
59:08
SPEAKER_01: I think people would have been a little more forgiving.
59:11
SPEAKER_01: Um, but it's not what happened.
59:15
SPEAKER_01: All right, well, that's our list.
59:17
SPEAKER_01: Please uh connect with the show.
59:19
SPEAKER_01: There's some links in the show description for our Facebook page, our Twitter feed, and our website, which is Pittsburgh Sports Memories.wheedly.com.
59:28
SPEAKER_01: Um all right, thanks everybody.
59:30
SPEAKER_01: Thank you for listening to the show, and if you feel inclined, please leave a review and tell your friends.
59:35
SPEAKER_01: Bye, everybody.