The Strangest, Most Unexpected Stories In Sports This Past Decade, Part II
What I’m getting at here is a lot of strange shit happens in this world of sports. Not always on the illegal side, either. Just strange, unexpected shit happens from time to time to keep us on our toes. If everything always went chalk there would be no need to watch. But, as the first part of this list was incomplete, a lot of you chimed in with other stories equally as peculiar and deserving of being revisited here and now.
Undetaker’s Undefeated Streak Snapped At Wrestlemania
Nate got downvoted to oblivion for this take in part one, but honestly I’m ashamed I forgot it the first time. I can’t think of any moment this last decade, potentially ever, that made as many grown men cry as Lesnar pinning Taker. Wrestling isn’t real until it’s the realest thing in the world. And Undertaker losing at Mania was the realest of deals I can remember witnessing with my own two eyes. Undertaker having his undefeated streak snapped at Wrestlemania very well may be the most shocking moment in sports entertainment history and I say that with zero hyperbole. It would be like the Sun deciding not to rise in the morning. A glaring omission on my behalf the first time out. Hand up, that’s on me.
Derrick Rose Straight Up Not Showing Up For A Game
Prior to this very special season with the New York Knicks, Derrick Rose said, “With these teams right now, they’re saying us and Golden State are the super teams.” He said that with complete sincerity. Sans sarcasm. And by January he was MIA. Getting benched in fourth quarters and no call, no showing in retaliation. In a long list of Knicks displays of ineptitude, this was one of the stranger occurrences in recent memory.
Tre Mason Goes Missing
Speaking of no-shows, Tre Mason dropped off the face of the Earth. I didn’t remember the bit about him having a direct line to the White House, but I do remember the NFL burying this story as quickly as it came up. After disappearing for three years, Tre returned to football in 2018… in Canada. He turned 26 this month. Three years of running against SEC defenses and two seasons of playing NFC West football might not be the ideal situation for the human brain.
2016 Chicago White Sox
Chuck pointed this one out, as he is a diehard White Sox fan. And I can’t imagine White Sox fans anywhere being able to forget the 2016 season any time soon. Because it was weird as hell. LaRoche essentially attempting to have his son pinch run for him late in games was as large of a red flag as I’ve ever seen for a ball club. Then to follow that up with Chris Sale going medieval on his throwback jersey with a pair of scissors to cap it off. Even for Chicago’s second most popular baseball team this story was so weird it garnered national attention.
Ryan Braun FedEx Piss Test Gate
Sticking with baseball, this is something I forgot all about. Ryan Braun was getting national commercials during his MVP peak. He was one of the faces of baseball, and then became one of the biggest dickheads to ever get caught with juice. Everyone notable who got busted for steroids in baseball went about it in their own way. And about a grand total of three people have handled the fallout the right way. Ryan Braun is not one of those people as the shitstorm he stirred up in an attempt to clear his name only caused far greater damage in the long run.
Laremy Tunsil Gas Mask Video Leaks Minutes Before Draft
All time Draft moment. As someone who only benefitted from this video hitting the web, I think it should happen every year. This video got tweeted out from Laremy Tunsil’s own Twitter account moments before the Draft started and it instantly threw ESPN’s broadcast and war rooms league wide into utter chaos. They couldn’t tell black from white the entire night. Laremy Tunsil dropped from a projected top five pick into Miami’s lap at 13. The Ravens and Titans both took tackles over Tunsil and there’s no chance they had either guy ranked ahead of Tunsil on their boards the morning of the Draft. Zero point zero percent chance. That video and subsequent leaked text messages asking Ole Miss coaches for money completely changed his career. With the Dolphins Tunsil has started 44 games and has been as good as advertised. Surprisingly smoking weed and knowing your mother has electricity doesn’t make someone worse at football. Who knew.
Power Goes Out At The Harbaugh Bowl
What the fuck was that? The Super Bowl doesn’t make mistakes like this. Lady Gaga jumped off the roof during halftime, because that’s how safe and secure the Super Bowl is. They have that production running smoother than a Swiss watch. Which can only mean one thing: diamond heist. Think about it logically. The Super Bowl is the most watched television program every single year. There’s no other time where that many people are distracted in this country than the nine hours the Super Bowl is on that first Sunday in February. Literally the perfect time for a precious jewel heist. And what better distraction on top of the initial distraction than killing the lights in New Orleans. It’s honestly brilliant. Put the Super Bowl on pause for 34 minutes, cause all first responders to focus their attention on something specific and bam. Millions in your pocket AND you didn’t miss any of the game. I’m not saying this would be the second best plot in the OCEANS 11 collection of movies, but I am saying it would be the first.