The Oakland Athletics and 10 Biggest Sports Fails of 2014
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The Athletics had an epic collapse in the regular season and in the wild card playoff, but they weren't the only team to fail in 2014. Here are the 10 biggest fails in all of sports over the past year.
10. The Miami Heat Giving Chris Bosh A Max Contract
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10. The Miami Heat Giving Chris Bosh A Max Contract
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When they lost LeBron James, the Heat knew it was going to be tough to compete like they had for the last four years. So what did they do? They made Bosh the highest paid player in the game. He’s not nearly worth the contract he got.
9. Toronto Blue Jays' Season
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9. Toronto Blue Jays' Season
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The Blue Jays looked so promising early this year as they led the AL East and were one of the best teams in all of baseball. However, they fell off the face of the earth and barely finished above .500. In Toronto, it’s back to the drawing board in 2015.
8. Paul George's Injury
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8. Paul George's Injury
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Where the Indiana Pacers are concerned, George’s injury is a total fail. Obviously, he couldn’t control what happened, but having their best player play on Team USA came back to bite them. Now the Pacers are ready to take a huge step back this upcoming season.
7. Kirk Cousins' Start Against The Giants
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7. Kirk Cousins' Start Against The Giants
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Everyone was saying that the Redskins were better off with Cousins under center after RGIII got injured, but he didn’t do anything to prove that against the division rival Giants. He threw four interceptions and fumbled once. If he can’t turn it around, the Redskins are doomed again this season.
6. Colorado Rockies' Season
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6. Colorado Rockies' Season
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At the beginning of the MLB season, it looked like the Rockies could be the surprise team of the season in baseball. They were the best team in baseball for much of the first month of the season. That didn’t last long, though, and they finished with one of the worst records in the league.
5. The Ray Rice Situation
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5. The Ray Rice Situation
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There has perhaps never been a situation that has decreased the approval of the NFL more than the Ray Rice situation. From the handling of the situation to what actually happened and the video accompanying it, it created a PR nightmare for the league.
4. St. Louis Blues' Collapse
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4. St. Louis Blues' Collapse
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The Blues were coasting at the top of the Western Conference’s Central Division and were ready to face a wild card team in the first round of the playoffs. However, they tanked down the stretch and gave the top seed to the Avalanche. They then went on to blow a 2-0 series lead over the rival Blackhawks and went home early once again.
3. Atlanta Braves' Season
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3. Atlanta Braves' Season
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The Braves were the biggest disappointment in baseball this season. Regardless of their injuries, they were a team capable of winning 90 games. They didn’t quite reach that plateau and struggled at times to even stay at .500. That’s just part of the reason general manager Frank Wren was fired.
2. Kansas City Chiefs Blow 28-Point Playoff Lead
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2. Kansas City Chiefs Blow 28-Point Playoff Lead
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As much as the Colts made an amazing comeback to erase a 38-10 deficit in the wild card round of last year’s NFL playoffs, the Chiefs blew it. Kansas City was on the cusp of a huge playoff win and then they let Andrew Luck and Co. work their magic and before they knew it, they were eliminated.
1. Oakland Athletics' Collapse
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1. Oakland Athletics' Collapse
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Finally, general manager Billy Beane went all in this season to win a World Series. He traded away star slugger Yoenis Cespedes and top prospects Addison Russell and Billy McKinney to put themselves in a position to win. That didn’t work out as they tanked down the stretch and blew a 7-3 eighth inning lead in the wild card playoff against the Royals.
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