Let’s talk winning and losing games.
In team games, can any one person win or lose a game?
In the recent college playoff game to get to the NCAA football championship, Ohio State’s sixth-year kicker, Noah Ruggles, shanked a 50-yard field goal attempt for the win. The miss “lost” the Peach Bowl for the Buckeyes at 42-41, and sent Georgia into the championship. But let’s not throw the college senior under the bus. First, a 50-yard field goal is not a certainty under any circumstance, and second, can any one player “lose” a team game?
It can be argued that a player can come through to “win” a game, but not coming through does not pin the loss on a single player in a team game. First, if his team scored more points or gave up fewer, he would not have been put in that position anyway. Second, Georgia rallied from a 14-point deficit in the fourth quarter to take the lead. Third, OSU coach Ryan Day could have called different plays to line up the ball in the center of the field rather than from the left hash mark, or he could have called plays that might have gained more yards prior to the final try. Fourth, Ruggles had a strong season that helped the Buckeyes get as far as the Peach Bowl and successfully kicked long ones through the uprights in the game, without which, OSU would not have had the opportunity for last-second heroics.
We all want our guy to come through and win and we would rather have a clutch player on our team than one who doesn’t make the big play at the crucial moment. But if he or she doesn’t come through, did they lose the game?
A missed field goal or free throw, a booted ground ball, a swing and a miss, a dropped pass in the end zone, a botched save or a shot at a wide-open net that misses, or a slip that lets a striker roam free may be the play that we remember for years as the one that cost us the game. But while the player didn’t make the play, did that one player alone lose the game?
It can be argued that a single athlete can win or lose one-on-one or one-against-the field competition. In golf, tennis, bowling, skiing, track and field, lumberjacking, weight lifting, gymnastics and the like … a single athlete wins or loses by himself or herself, but in a team sport, the entire team either puts the team in position to win, or they don’t. Even in auto racing or horse racing, there is more to it than just the driver or jockey.
Bill Mazeroski’s walk-off homerun won the 1960 World Series for the Pirates over the Yankees, but did Ralph Terry lose it? I say, no; he threw the pitch, but Maz hit it and previous Yankee pitchers gave up nine runs. Bobby Orr scored a flying, acrobatic goal to win the 1970 Stanley Cup final for the Boston Bruins over the St. Louis Blues, but did goalie Glenn Hall lose the game? Again, no. Michael Jordan hit a Game Six jump shot over Byron Russell to win the 1998 NBA finals for the Bulls over the Jazz. Credit MJ, who got away with a push, don’t punish Russell. Brandi Chastain converted the game-winning penalty kick in the 1999 FIFA World Cup for the USA over China. The score was 0-0 and the USA took the penalty kicks 5-4. Don’t blame anyone, credit Chastain.
These are the just tips of the iceberg. Game-winning plays transcend sports and come in all venues. What about game “Losers?”
Bill Buckner’s botch on Mookie Wilson’s ground ball in the 1986 World Series against the Mets happened in Game Six, and did not lose the Series for the Red Sox … and the game was tied 5-5 at the time, so even making the play would not have assured the win for Boston, which also lost Game Seven. Joe Pisarcik was supposed to kneel with the ball to run out the clock in a 17-12 New York Giants win over the Philadelphia Eagles. Instead, he tried to hand off the ball to Larry Csonka, fumbled and Herman Edwards picked up the dropped ball and ran 26 yards for a touchdown and the win. But it was still a team loss and a teammate could have jumped on the loose ball or tackled Edwards. Hall of Fame goalie Patrick Roy showboated a save against the Detroit Red Wings in Game Six of the conference finals, dropped the puck and Brendan Shanahan scored on him for a Red Wings win. But his team could have bumped Shanny off the puck or scored more during the game.
Just as with countless game-winners, there are countless athletes who didn’t come through or who made bad plays that resulted in a team loss. The fact remains that the one player did not lose the game … the team lost. It has been argued that the player on the hook for the winning field goal, shot or at bat, or game-saving defensive play, or on the mound, in the field or arena, did not lose by himself. Do you agree or disagree?
So cheer your game-winner or boo the guy who shanked his field goal attempt, clanked the buzzer-shot off the iron, spanked the puck off the post or banked the ground ball off his glove. But remember that your team lost the game, not one guy. What do you think? Let me know at mike.blake@mountvernonnews.com.
