Burst
El Dandy
*inarticulate squawking*
Posts: 8,599
Member is Online
|
Post by Burst on Aug 18, 2012 10:19:34 GMT -5
I mean in the sense of guys with lots of potential whose careers were truncated or adversely affected by injuries, freak accidents, or otherwise just stuff out of their control.
I've got two NASCAR examples.
Steve Park was one of the debut drivers for Dale Earnhardt Inc. in 1998, and looked like he was primed to kick ass like he had been in the Busch series, until his painful practice crash in Atlanta took him out for most of 1998, ruining his rookie year. Add to this his freak crash at Darlington a few years later, and he pretty much solidified himself in the "what could have been" category.
Fairly similar and a few years earlier than that is Ricky Craven, who I'm glad to see is getting work at ESPN nowadays, but who also had the meat of his career deflated by a series of bad accidents, culminating in his concussion at Texas, and the post-concussion syndrome that would plague him in the upcoming years. With all we know nowadays about head injuries, it's even more painful in hindsight.
Honorable mention to Ernie Irvan, who also seemed to be a driver who attracted really, really savage crashes, but Irvan did have a fairly good career up til things first got derailed in 1994. Also, his luck at even SURVIVING that one let alone racing and winning again is pretty overriding.
I'm sure people can think up examples from sports I'm less versed in.
|
|
King Ghidorah
El Dandy
On Probation for Charges of two counts of Saxual Music.
How Absurd
Posts: 8,330
|
Post by King Ghidorah on Aug 18, 2012 10:38:25 GMT -5
Rex Grossman
|
|
|
Post by Baldobomb-22-OH-MAN!!! on Aug 18, 2012 10:40:08 GMT -5
there's a part of me that wants to say Rick DiPietro's had some terrible luck with injuries. and then I'm reminded he's getting paid tonnes of money for the next several years to play maybe 10 games a season.
|
|
|
Post by Spankymac is sick of the swiss on Aug 18, 2012 10:45:41 GMT -5
Bill Buckner. ONE play made him a pariah in Boston for years.
|
|
|
Post by stinger on Aug 18, 2012 10:46:37 GMT -5
I mentioned this in the thread on "30 for 30" thread. Marcus Dupree. One of the greatest high school RBs of all-time, sought after by nearly every school in the country. If you have Netflix, I suggest watching the "30 for 30: The Best that Never Was." For those who might want to watch it, I'll spoiler tag the rest: {Spoiler}Goes to Oklahoma, doesn't get along w/ Barry Switzer, suffers a concussion, leaves school, takes some bad career advice, goes to the USFL, suffers a knee injury, stays out of the game for 5 years, gets in shape, makes the roster for the L.A. Rams, cut after one season. At least he got to play in the NFL for one season, but it's just a sad story of wasted potential.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Aug 18, 2012 11:00:56 GMT -5
Kerry Wood should have been one of the best of all time, but injuries really hurt his career. Gale Sayers is one of the best of all time, but what might have been if they had the medical technology/knowledge to repair knee injuries back in the 60s.
|
|
|
Post by stinger on Aug 18, 2012 11:03:45 GMT -5
Kerry Wood should have been one of the best of all time, but injuries really hurt his career. Gale Sayers is one of the best of all time, but what might have been if they had the medical technology/knowledge to repair knee injuries back in the 60s. Mark Prior fits in to this category as well. The Cubs had a monster lineup back then: Prior, Wood, Maddux, Zambrano, Clement. Too bad it never panned out for them.
|
|
|
Post by Clash, Never a Meter Maid on Aug 18, 2012 11:44:48 GMT -5
Lyman Bostock's a pretty blunt example.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Aug 18, 2012 11:52:13 GMT -5
Honorable mention to Ernie Irvan, who also seemed to be a driver who attracted really, really savage crashes, but Irvan did have a fairly good career up til things first got derailed in 1994. Also, his luck at even SURVIVING that one let alone racing and winning again is pretty overriding. And came very close to winning the title after his first accident.
|
|
The Line
Patti Mayonnaise
Real Name: Bumkiss. Stanley Bumkiss.
Peanut Butter & JAAAAAMMMM!
Posts: 36,698
|
Post by The Line on Aug 18, 2012 11:57:16 GMT -5
Hank Gathers. Heart and soul(no pun intended) of the LMU Lions, leading point scorer all of NCAA D1 BBall, an incredibly promising future ahead of him, until a freak heart condition caused him to die in the middle of a game during the 1990 WCC Tournament.
|
|
|
Post by stinger on Aug 18, 2012 12:20:30 GMT -5
Tim Couch. Drafted by the horrible Cleveland Browns expansion team. Gets sacked more than any other QB ever in his first three years except maybe Archie Manning. Gets Cleveland to the playoffs in his third year. Fans turn on him and actually cheer when he suffers a concussion in favor of Kelly Holcomb.Tears his rotator cuff. Forced to retire and be thought of widely as a huge bust although he had no support staff in Cleveland and still managed to put them in the playoffs three years after they formed.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Aug 18, 2012 12:21:59 GMT -5
See: Theismann, Joe. 1985.
If that isn't unlucky, I couldn't tell you what is.
|
|
Bo Rida
Fry's dog Seymour
Pulled one over on everyone. Got away with it, this time.
Posts: 23,586
|
Post by Bo Rida on Aug 18, 2012 12:36:19 GMT -5
Kieran Behan a gymnast that was told he'd never walk again on several occasions, has suffered nerve damage, ear problems that made him black out if he was off balance, broken bones and a brain injury that left him unable to feed himself for some time.
Although maybe he is actually pretty lucky as he overcome all that to make it too the London Olympics.
Or maybe the Afghan water polo team as they don't usually have a pool to train in.
|
|
|
Post by Mr. Medium Shot on Aug 18, 2012 12:40:20 GMT -5
Steve Avery should have been a huge star pitcher into the 2000s. I heard an interview with his agent just a few days ago, where he said Avery had pitched more than 200 innings more than either Tom Glavine or John Smoltz by the age of 23. Combine that with mechanical faults that stress the shoulder, and that spelled the end for Steve Avery. Had he remained great alongside the Braves' big three in the 1990s, I think they would have won multiple World Series.
A similar, more recent example is Scott Kazmir. I watched him in 2008 and said "I hope we're not looking at the next Steve Avery." He was just starting to falter as a starting pitcher late in that season, and then he lost his velocity and it all fell apart. He suffered a series of arm injuries, the Angels released him and now he's pitching for the Sugar Land Skeeters. And not doing well the last time I checked.
Those were injury-related cases mostly, but for a truly unlucky athlete through a myriad of circumstances, I second Marcus Dupree.
|
|
ICBM
King Koopa
Didn't know we did status updates here now
Posts: 12,288
|
Post by ICBM on Aug 18, 2012 12:40:49 GMT -5
Not injury-wise but Leon Lett screwed up in back to back yrs and instead of being known as a solid player who was a probowler and super bowl champion, he gets cited for his two sports fails.
|
|
BR329
King Koopa
Support the WWF
Posts: 11,477
|
Post by BR329 on Aug 18, 2012 13:01:06 GMT -5
Honorable mention to Ernie Irvan, who also seemed to be a driver who attracted really, really savage crashes, but Irvan did have a fairly good career up til things first got derailed in 1994. Also, his luck at even SURVIVING that one let alone racing and winning again is pretty overriding. And came very close to winning the title after his first accident. To add to this his career ended at the same track where he was almost killed 5 years earlier.
|
|
|
Post by CM Parish on Aug 18, 2012 13:05:23 GMT -5
We could add a few wrestlers in there.. Like Weylon Mercy or Droz.
|
|
Lupin the Third
Patti Mayonnaise
I'm sorry.....I love you. *boot to the head*--3rd most culpable in the jixing of NXT, D'oh!
Join the Dark Order....
Posts: 36,332
|
Post by Lupin the Third on Aug 18, 2012 13:21:04 GMT -5
Bill Buckner. ONE play made him a pariah in Boston for years. If you go with Bill Buckner, I'm going with Scott Norwood.
|
|
ICBM
King Koopa
Didn't know we did status updates here now
Posts: 12,288
|
Post by ICBM on Aug 18, 2012 14:00:48 GMT -5
Norwood...poor sap. Poor Bills. Poor Bills fans. Poor Jim Kelly
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Aug 18, 2012 14:28:02 GMT -5
Chien-Ming Wang
Gets called up to the Yankees mid-2005 and goes 8-5. Wins 19 games in 2006 and 2007, finishing 2nd in the Cy Young in the former. Gets leg injury in 2008 running bases in interleague game. Never repeated that success and became plagued with injuries since.
|
|