The Examiner
2008-07-10 07:00:00.0
Current rank: Not ranked

The old adage “defense wins championships” might be overstated, but there is no denying the importance “D” plays in sports. The Orioles found that out Tuesday when they lost 7-6 at the Toronto Blue Jays thanks to two ninth inning errors. This gave “Hot Read” the perfect chance to examine five memorable sports blunders.

1. Leon Lett, football: This former Dallas Cowboy defensive tackle could make this list twice and won’t ever get confused with a Mensa member. He might have been a two-time Pro Bowl selection, but he likely will be remembered for two plays. With Dallas leading 52-17 late in the fourth quarter of Super Bowl XXVII against the Buffalo Bills, Lett recovered a fumble. But as he got near the end zone, he slowed down, and held the ball to celebrate — only to have Don Beebe and knock the ball out of his hand. The next season, Lett muffed the pickup of a blocked field goal against the Miami Dolphins, which gave the Dolphins a second chance at three points and allowed them to win, 16-14.

2. Chris Webber, college basketball: Lett did not have a monopoly on boneheaded plays in 1993. Apparently C-Webb forgot how to count in college after he started receiving gifts from boosters as part of the Fab Five. At no time was this more apparent than when Webber called timeout in the final seconds of the 1993 NCAA men's basketball tournament final when Michigan didn’t have any remaining. Michigan was given a technical foul, which North Carolina converted in two points to secure the championship.

3. Jose Canseco, baseball: You could write a whole column on Canseco’s screw-ups, but none might be funnier than when he did his best soccer player impression as an outfielder for the Texas Rangers in 1993. This is not what people mean when they ask you to use your head.

4. Gus Frerotte, football: The journeyman quarterback took using your head to a completely different level than Canseco ever did. In 1997, Frerotte scored on a one-yard touchdown run against the New York Giants. Instead of coming up with a great touchdown dance or doing something creative, a la Chad Johnson, Frerotte thought it would be cool to bang his head into a concrete wall. Why not? He was wearing a helmet. He left the game with sprained neck and became the poster child how not to celebrate a touchdown.

5. Bill Gramatica, place kicker: Kickers have a hard enough time being accepted on a football team, as many players don’t consider them real athletes. Gramatica didn’t help the cause in 2001 when he injured his knee jumping during a celebration after making a field goal while with the Arizona Cardinals.

WHAT WE LIKED: Cal Ripken Jr. continuing to spread the game of baseball throughout the world. The Hall of Famer will travel to South Africa next spring as part of his role as an American public diplomacy envoy. The Iron Man made a similar trip to China in 2007.

WHAT WE DIDN'T LIKE: The grim news surrounding former Orioles first-round pick Adam Loewen. It appears he could be lost for the year after a CT scan showed more damage to a previous stress fracture in the left-hander's throwing arm. Loewen, 24, might never live up to the hype that surrounded him when he was taken with the fourth pick in the 2002 draft.

STAR OF THE DAY

The Crystal Palace soccer team might have lost to Major League Soccer's New England Revolution on Tuesday, but the team did not go down without a fight. The U.S. Open Cup quarterfinal went into overtime before the Revolution pulled out a 2-1 victory after winning 5-3 in penalty kicks.

DONKEY OF THE DAY

Michael Vick’s world continues to go to the dogs. The former Atlanta Falcons quarterback and poster child for the NFL filed for bankruptcy protection claiming he owes creditors between $10 million and $50 million. Vick is serving a 23-month prison sentence at the U.S. Penitentiary on Leavenworth, Kan., after pleading guilty to charges stemming from his role in a dog-fighting ring. As Norm from “Cheers” so eloquently put it, “It’s a dog eat dog world and Vick is wearing Milk-Bone underwear.”

— Compiled by the Baltimore Examiner sports staff