Days that will forever sting

After a decade of sports dominance, Boston has seen some tough days in the past year.

You typically remember the days of pain more than the days of exhilaration. It’s human nature.
That familiar pain was long associated with being a Boston sports fan and today it has crept back into our lives.

A look at some other days Boston sports fans would like to forget in time:

OCT. 2, 1978
Bucky Dent’s home run off of Red Sox pitcher Mike Torrez left Fenway Park in stunned silence as the faithful wondered if they would ever see a World Series crown. The wait would be another 26 long years.

OCT. 25, 1986
It’s awfully easy to place all the blame on Bill Buckner for the Red Sox collapse in Game 6 of the 1986 World Series, but there certainly were other goats involved.

Pitcher Calvin Schiraldi was one of the other main culprits as the Red Sox lost a 5-3 lead despite being one out away from glory.

The scoreboard at Shea Stadium that night even read, “Congratulations, Boston Red Sox, 1986 World Champions,” for a brief moment.

OCT. 16, 2003
Aaron “Bleepin’” Boone broke the hearts of Bostonians as he took Tim Wakefield yard in Game 7 of the 2003 ALCS.

JAN. 21, 2007
The first hint that the Tedy Bruschi-era Patriots were getting a bit long in the tooth, the Peyton Manning-led Colts stormed back from a 21-3 hole to stun New England, 38-34 at the RCA Dome. It was the first time Belichick and Brady truly looked mortal.

FEB 3, 2008
The first of the Giants losses, this one hurt a bit more considering the Patriots were going for the first undefeated season in modern NFL history. The Pats were a banged up, tired unit at this point and the New York pass rush certainly took advantage as they hit Tom Brady time and time again.

SEPT. 28, 2011
The Red Sox seemed destined to have a one-game playoff with the Tampa Bay Rays, who were of course playing the hated Yankees on the same night.

But in a matter of minutes, the Red Sox epic September collapse was complete when closer Jonathan Papelbon allowed two runs in the ninth to the Orioles to lose 4-3 in Baltimore and Tampa’s Evan Longoria blasted a solo home run in St. Petersburg, Fla. to give the Rays a dramatic 8-7 win over the Yankees. Tampa went to the playoffs while the Red Sox said goodbye to their manager and GM.

Dark days

A look at some other dark days in Boston sports history:

July 27, 1993
Certainly deaths are 1,000 times more tragic than the results of any silly game, but we’d be remissed if we didn’t incorporate them on this list. Celtics star Reggie Lewis collapsed and died suddenly on a basketball court while practicing at Brandeis University on this date.

June 19, 1986
Len Bias, who just hours earlier was drafted by the World Champion Boston Celtics, died of cardiac arrhythmia induced by a cocaine overdose. Bias’ sudden death sent not just Boston, but the nation into a panic.

July 5, 2002
Red Sox legend Ted Williams lived a full life unlike the other two sports stars on this list. But the day that No. 9 died still resonates with Boston sports fans as it felt as though an entire baseball generation had passed along with Williams.