Long-term residence is not necessary to recognize how bad times often overshadow the celebrations in Chicago sports.
So with the White Sox embarking on an especially awful start to the season, let’s relive some bad memories and rank the 10 worst starts in Chicago sports history.
Please be aware, some of these stories have happy endings:
10. Sky, 2006
Expansion teams are supposed to be bad, but the Sky threw a curveball by winning the first game in franchise history at Charlotte, then losing the next 13 in a row. Ten of those losses were by double digits, and inaugural coach Dave Cowens was a one-and-done.
9. Cubs, 1981
This team started 3-17 but was saved from a horrendous loss total by a player’s strike, which caused the MLB season to be split into two halves.
Another twist to this team is it included leftovers from the overachieving late 1970s teams (Bill Buckner, Rick Reuschel, Mike Krukow) and some key players from the 1984 playoff squad (Jody Davis, Leon Durham, Lee Smith).
8. Bears, 1968
This was more about frustrating circumstances than being awful. The Bears had gotten tired of having to wait for the Cubs’ season to end before they could play home games at Wrigley Field.
So they decided to play the 1968 season opener at Wrigley, without the huge temporary grandstand in right field. How did it go? They lost to the Redskins 38-28 as Sonny Jurgensen threw 4 touchdown passes, including a 99-yarder to Gerry Allen.
