Life and Stuff

It's official, the beloved baseball nine of Philly and Bucks County PA have set a dubious record that no one would ever want. The Phillies have become the first team in the history of organized professional sports to lose a grand total of 10,000 games. This is truly a record of remarkable futility that is likely to be equaled one day by another team in professional sports, but I believe that day is a long way off. Although most Philly fans are likely to tell you that their team has always been a perennial loser, it needs to be said that at least the Phils have had several winning seasons as well as a string of years in which they were successful. It is easy to forget that amid a sea of losing seasons in which the team has had a lack of pitching, hitting, or a combination of both, the Phillies have had a certain amount of success. This brush with greatness is indicative of the fact the team won several division titles in the 1970's which culminated in a World Championship in 1980. You could even make a case for last season as a success because the Phillies were in the playoff hunt for the much of the season until they fell out of the race for the wild card in the final week of September. I am labeling last year as a success because it was the first time the team was even close to the post-season since 1993 when they earned a berth in the World Series. I know that Philadelphia sports junkies have staunch opinions and do not like to be proven wrong on their stances, but even the most cynical of the bunch would have to admit that they were at least a little excited about the prospect of the playoffs. While the Phillies have had their share of clunker campaigns, there are some teams within professional sports that will always have that losing aura about them no matter what they do. These are the teams that even the most optimistic of sports fan would have to say have no chance of winning period. Here now, I'd like to present to you the biggest losers in each of the four professional sports. Selections are based on fan support, cheapness of management, and ridicule by the National Media.

NBA: Los Angeles Clippers: So bad that people sometimes forget there's a second team in the city. Recently Elton Brand has returned them to a level of respectability, but the memories of throwing games for better draft picks and paper bag wearing fans were common place are still fresh within the minds of the fans. Honorable mention goes to the Golden State Warriors who narrowly missed this list because of their success in the 2007 post season.

NHL: Chicago Blackhawks Can you recall a season within the last decade in which the Windy City Dark Birds were at least relevant? I didn't think so! Hockey is truly an obscurity within the city as it does not look like it things will change anytime soon.

MLB: Tampa Bay Rays: Within their ten-year existence, The little fish have never had strong pitching, never had a completely sound lineup that can score runs, and has a fan base that is characterized by people who are more likely to root for the opposition than the Rays themselves. These factors are truly why I believe that Tampa Bay is the least deserving city for a major league franchise in America.

NFL: Arizona Cardinals: Number of playoff wins since 1984: 0.
Number of division titles in Phoenix: 0.
Number of good QB's since Neil Lomax: 0.
The sight of seeing an angry Dennis Green swat over a microphone during a press conference: Priceless

I do not consider myself any sort of expert on futility, but come on, do you think these teams will have any sort of luck in the near future?