After enduring a day of painful memories of Stros previous heartbreaking playoff losses in the final game of the 1980 NLCS, the Game Six of the 1986 NLCS, and Game Seven of last season’s NLCS, my old friend and former Houstonian Dr. Jim Bob Baker of Temple, Texas passes along the following on the heels of Houston’s latest sporting disaster:

I was just over at the physicians’ lounge at the hospital before coming back to the office to finish some things up. ESPN SportsCenter was on the TV there. As an aftermath of the Astros’ loss last night, ESPN graciously also showed highlights from:

The University of Houston’s loss to Joe Montana and Notre Dame in the 1979 Cotton Bowl;
The University of Houston’s Phi Slamma Jamma losing to Jim Valvano and North Carolina State on a tip-in at the buzzer in the 1983 NCAA National Championship Game;
The Houston Rockets‘ 1997 Game Six Western Conference Final playoff loss to Utah on John Stockton’s last-second 3 pointer;
The Houston Oilers’ 1991 NFL playoff loss to Denver on John Elway’s last minute 98 yard drive;

and last but not least:

The Oilers’ 41-38 overtime loss to Buffalo in the 1993 NFL playoffs after leading at halftime 35-3.

Thanks for the memories, ESPN.

Bill Simmons also has this humorous piece on special Houston sports fiascos. And Brian Goff notes that, if you are going to pitch to Pujols in that situation at all, breaking pitches are not the way to go. Finally, it took 24 hours for lifelong Houstonian Mike Falick to gather himself sufficiently to write this post on the latest Houston sports fiasco that he has endured.