Detroiters are no strangers to tough losses

Well, that certainly was disappointing.

But we all have been through it before. From the Tigers' loss in Game 7 of the 1909 World Series through the epic defeat at the hands of the Twins on Tuesday night, the agony of defeats has been visited on the major sports teams in the state for at least a century.

Less-well remembered, perhaps, than the glorious victories in and around a town once dubbed "City of Champions," the losses are nonetheless permanently etched in the sport psyche of the state.

So, why obsess about them? Well, among other things, there's not much else left for local fans, with the Red Wings' season in its infancy and the Wolverines and Spartans both unranked in college football.

Oh, yeah, and then there is the Lions, of course. But this is, after all, a serious consideration of the current reality.

Around town Wednesday, some psychological trauma was evident. But given the losses by the Spartans in the NCAA Tournament final in April and the Red Wings in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals in June, it might be worthwhile recalling what a great sportsman of the northern woods of Michigan, Ernest Hemingway, once wrote: "A man can be destroyed but not defeated."

"People aren't really talking like there is a jinx," said Amy Buglo, a cook at the White Rhino Sports Bar in Redford. "But it is more like, 'Oh, well. What did we expect?' You know?

"There is always next year."

As Harry Kefalonitis attended to the emotional stability of his clientele at Harry's Bar and Grille in Detroit, he mused about what has occurred and what might have been.

"This is way different," Kefalonitis said of the Tigers and the collective angst. "Michigan State lost in the finals, but they made it there and they made Detroit rock.

"The Wings lost in the seventh game, but the crowds downtown were rocking. With the Tigers, it just all went away with one of the biggest collapses, ever. At least the other two made it, and then they lost. These guys didn't even make it happen."

Remember when ...

Some of the other devastation of Michigan sports fans:

• The Red Wings lose Game 7 of the 2009 Stanley Cup Finals to the Penguins, 2-1, ending the quest for a 12th Stanley Cup.

• After a brilliant run in the Tournament, Michigan State loses the 2009 national championship game to North Carolina, 89-72.

• Colorado beats Michigan, 27-26, in 1994 on a no-time-left-on-the-clock, 64-yard "Hail Mary" from Kordell Stewart to Michael Westbrook.

• Michigan State stumbles in 1990 en route to a basketball title after Georgia Tech's Kenny Anderson is ruled to have sunk a shot as time expired to tie the game. Replays showed Anderson releasing the shot after time expired.

• The Pistons lose Game 5 of the 1987 NBA conference finals to the Celtics, 108-107, when Larry Bird steals Isiah Thomas' inbounds pass to Bill Laimbeer in the final seconds. The Pistons, who would have taken a 3-2 series advantage in a quest for their first title since moving to Detroit from Fort Wayne, lost the series in seven games.

• Kansas beats Michigan State in the 1986 NCAA Tournament, 96-86 in overtime, after a scoreboard malfunction robs Michigan State of 15 seconds.

• Ray Leonard stops Thomas Hearns in 1981 in the 14th round of an undisputed world welterweight championship bout on a TKO after Hearns amassed a large early lead.

• Ohio State defeats Michigan, 12-10, in 1974 when Mike Lantry's 33-yard field goal attempt with 16 seconds remaining is ruled "no good" as it appears to cross the top of one of the uprights.

• Seeking their first title in 13 years, the Lions lose, 5-0, to the Cowboys in the 1970 divisional playoffs. Mel Renfro intercepts a Bill Munson pass deep in Dallas territory on the final drive.

• UCLA defeats No. 1 Michigan State, 14-12, in the 1966 Rose Bowl. The weeks before the game, Duffy Daugherty's far-more talented squad was considered a shoo-in as champions.

• Appearing poised to win the Stanley Cup in 1966 after winning the first two games in Montreal, the Red Wings lose their fourth consecutive game of the Finals, 3-2 in overtime, on a disputed goal by Henri Richard.

• After winning the first three games of the 1942 Stanley Cup Finals, the Red Wings lose a fourth straight game to the Maple Leafs, 3-1. It remains among the worst collapses in the history of sport.

• The Reds deny the Tigers a second title, defeating Detroit, 2-1, in Game 7 of the 1940 World Series.

• In 1936, in the first of two bouts that came to symbolize the struggle between fascist bigotry and the democratic struggle for civil rights, the German boxer Max Schmeling knocked out the highly touted Joe Louis in the 14th round at Yankee Stadium.

• The fabled Gashouse Gang, the Cardinals, deny the Tigers their first title, winning Game 7 of the 1934 World Series, 11-0, at Navin Field.

• The Tigers become the first team to lose three consecutive World Series in 1909, losing in the seventh game at Bennett Park to the Pirates, 8-0. It was Ty Cobb's last World Series.