The thing about being a sports fan is that there is always a level of persecution that you feel from the sports gods, regardless of what city you live in. Hell, I have friends that live in Boston that still obsess more over Bill Buckner’s error that cost the Red Sox the 1986 World Series than they celebrate the Red Sox four World titles since then (not to mention the Patriots’ six Super Bowl wins).
In Houston, we have our fair share of what I will call “sports gut punches.” The NBA lottery last week provided the latest in life’s series of body blows to the Houston sports fan, as hope that the Rockets would win the right to draft French phenom Victor Wembanyama turned to the sad reality of drafting fourth overall in a draft with three highly regarded players.
Rocket fans cried over this. and lamented the lot in life that we’ve been given by pledging our loyalty to our Houston sports teams. However, we need to apply some perspective here. Not all gut punches are created equal. The unanswered prayers to bring us Victor hurt, but these wounds will heal. Some gut punches leave permanent trauma.
So let’s put this in a language that we in Houston can all, unfortunately, speak fluently — here are the levels of gut punches as depicted in hurricane severity categories, Cat 1 through Cat 5:
CATEGORY 1 — Random non-injury, non-title-affecting occurrences
The lowest level of gut punch are the ones that don’t directly impact a big game or a whole season. They instead impact more esoteric things like roster building and drafts. This is where we plunk down last Tuesday’s lottery. It sucked at the time, but you move on.
Historical Houston CAT 1 Example: Texans win over Colts in Week 18 last season
The Texans somehow overcoming adversity that they hadn’t been able to overcome in YEAARS, such as multiple fourth down conversions and actually scoring a win IN Indy, and in the process costing themselves the No. 1 pick in the draft was a pretty infuriating occurrence this past January. Hopefully, C.J. Stroud, the number TWO overall pick, is the salve on that wound.
CATEGORY 2 — Event directly affecting the outcome of an important regular season game
Now we get into the gut punches that cost us games, the results that actually matter and impact seasons and shape rivalries. These are usually improbable plays made by the opposition or boneheaded errors from a Houston athlete that essentially end a game.
Historical Houston CAT 2 Example: The final 50 seconds of the Texans’ 2019 MNF opener at New Orleans
This had every element of a multilayered Cat 2 gut punch. After Deshaun Watson generated a go ahead TD in 13 seconds and two plays, the Saints, down 28-27, were able to generate a win largely due to poor coverage from safety Aaron Colvin (boneheaded Texan play) that led to a 57 yard game winning field goal from Saints kicker Will Lutz (improbable play). Truth be told, this was one of many gut punch endings of the Deshaun Watson Era.
CATEGORY 3 — Severe injury that sideswipes or completely derails an entire season
Any injury to a prominent player that is part of a season full of hope. Unfortunately, like actual hurricanes and floods, Cat 3 is one that we in Houston know all too well.
Historical Houston CAT 3 Example: Take your pick….
Deshaun Watson’s torn ACL in 2017 (the day AFTER the Astros won the World Series, no less), Chris Paul’s hamstring injury in Game 5 of the 2018 Western Conference Finals, Justin Verlander’s UCL injury in the first game of the 2020 COVID-shortened season. Like I said, we have plenty of experience.
CATEGORY 4 — Event directly ending a playoff run
This is a play or a mistake that directly leads to the actual end (or functional end) of a postseason run PRIOR to the championship game or round of the playoffs.
Historical Houston CAT 4 Example: Damian Lillard, 0.9 seconds, 2014 NBA playoffs first round.
No more words needed. just video….
That hurts. Cat 4 hurts, and still hurts to this very day. But Cat 5? That damage is beyond permanent….
CATEGORY 5 — Event directly ending a championship round
These are events or mistakes that lead directly to the actual (or functional) end of a championship game or round. In Seattle, they have the Malcolm Butler interception. In Boston, they have Bill Buckner in Game 6 in the 1986 World Series. Here?
Historical Houston CAT 5 Example: Howie Kendrick vs Will Harris, 2019 World Series Game 7.
Again, no words needed. Just video….
So with the severity rankings laid out for you, Rockets fan, just know that losing out on Victor was only a Cat 1 Gut Punch. So fear not. You’ll get over that pretty quickly.
Listen to Sean Pendergast on SportsRadio 610 from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. weekdays. Also, follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/SeanTPendergast, on Instagram at instagram.com/sean.pendergast, and like him on Facebook at facebook.com/SeanTPendergast.
This article appears in Jan 1 – Dec 31, 2023.
