Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
* If there was such a company that fit this in the automotive industry, AMC (American Motors) would definitely qualify. Formed from the 1954 merger of Nash and Hudson, AMC struggled for years against the might of Detroit's Big Three automakers (GM, Ford and Chrysler). Bob Lutz, a noted automotive executive, even compared AMC to the Wake Island Marines, as they were routinely outgunned and outnumbered by the Big Three, yet continued in the face of seemingly certain doom to churn out a variety of innovative and unusual products, including the Gremlin and Pacer. Their ace in the hole was the perennially-popular line of Jeep off-road [=SUVs=]. Ultimately, a doomed team up with French automaker Renault didn't yield much success; after Renault's CEO was assassinated by a French extremist group (angry over him continuing to pour money into AMC while laying off workers in France), Renault sold AMC to Chrysler, who primarily wanted the Jeep assets.
** However, [[ContractualObligationProject contractual agreements with Renault and state franchise laws]] forced the creation of the Eagle brand (the name was taken from the AMC Eagle, the last non-Renault/Jeep product being sold under the AMC name), which also falls under this definition, as it was little more than a sideshow for Chrysler while they were working on other things. It had a variety of oddball and orphan cars sourced from Renault, Mitsubishi and Chrysler themselves, and were very much not a priority in comparison to Jeep or the other brands they had. It only lasted 10 years, but it had a ShortLivedBigImpact -- the Eagle Premier sedan (intended as Renault's flagship sedan for the US market), despite slow sales, was much more technologically sophisticated than anything else Chrysler had at the time. It was used as the basis for the LH platform "cab-forward" cars of the 90s, which brought Chrysler a lot of critical and sales success.
** However, [[ContractualObligationProject contractual agreements with Renault and state franchise laws]] forced the creation of the Eagle brand (the name was taken from the AMC Eagle, the last non-Renault/Jeep product being sold under the AMC name), which also falls under this definition, as it was little more than a sideshow for Chrysler while they were working on other things. It had a variety of oddball and orphan cars sourced from Renault, Mitsubishi and Chrysler themselves, and were very much not a priority in comparison to Jeep or the other brands they had. It only lasted 10 years, but it had a ShortLivedBigImpact -- the Eagle Premier sedan (intended as Renault's flagship sedan for the US market), despite slow sales, was much more technologically sophisticated than anything else Chrysler had at the time. It was used as the basis for the LH platform "cab-forward" cars of the 90s, which brought Chrysler a lot of critical and sales success.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
** Even the professional soldiers weren't exactly what you called a well-oiled group. Consisting of the forces of:
*** The brother of the excommunicated French king (who considered himself equal to his brother and kept demanding that he be treated as such).
*** An almost bankrupted French duke who had very shaky ties to his tittle and who joined the crusade as a way to get away from it all (selling almost all his remaining holdings in order to fund an army)
*** The brother of said duke who now had very little legitimacy thanks to his brother selling his holdings.
*** A Norman-Lombard Prince who had been disinherited by his father in favour of his younger half-brother. And now joined the crusade for the chance to actually gain something other than a fiefdom.
*** Another French count/duke (he was booth) who was the only one to join because he wanted to spread Christianity. By far the richest of the group he pretty much ended up funding the whole thing much to his chagrin.
*** The eldest son of the Norman-British king who after one to many disputes with his father had been disinherited. And who joined the crusade so he might get something.
*** A Flemish count whose father had been killed while making an pilgrimage to Jerusalem and who wanted revenge.
*** And yet another French count who joined mostly because his wife told him to.
*** The brother of the excommunicated French king (who considered himself equal to his brother and kept demanding that he be treated as such).
*** An almost bankrupted French duke who had very shaky ties to his tittle and who joined the crusade as a way to get away from it all (selling almost all his remaining holdings in order to fund an army)
*** The brother of said duke who now had very little legitimacy thanks to his brother selling his holdings.
*** A Norman-Lombard Prince who had been disinherited by his father in favour of his younger half-brother. And now joined the crusade for the chance to actually gain something other than a fiefdom.
*** Another French count/duke (he was booth) who was the only one to join because he wanted to spread Christianity. By far the richest of the group he pretty much ended up funding the whole thing much to his chagrin.
*** The eldest son of the Norman-British king who after one to many disputes with his father had been disinherited. And who joined the crusade so he might get something.
*** A Flemish count whose father had been killed while making an pilgrimage to Jerusalem and who wanted revenge.
*** And yet another French count who joined mostly because his wife told him to.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added line(s) 4 (click to see context) :
!!Sports teams
* The 1980 Winter Olympics featured the Soviet Hockey juggernaut playing against a bunch of college hockey players who just happened to be playing for the United States. In what would become known as the Miracle on Ice, the college kids toppled the Russians 4-3, with a little help from the [[HomeFieldAdvantage home crowd.]] Canada did it first, eight years earlier, with an All-Star lineup of Usefulnotes/NationalHockeyLeague players - many of them future Hall of Famers - and in an exhibition series, ''not'' the Olympics. The Americans? Over a third of the team, including the captain, never played a minute in the NHL.
* [[UsefulNotes/BritishFootyTeams Wimbeldon FC's]] "Crazy Gang," with a reputation for pulling an assortment of practical jokes on each other and their manager as well as for playing UsefulNotes/AssociationFootball with a very unsophisticated and amateurish style, were able to beat the much more skilled Liverpool squad in the 1988 FA Cup Final against all expectations.
* The 2010 [[UsefulNotes/{{Baseball}} World Series]] champion [[http://www.sfgiants.com San Francisco Giants]], a team literally described in the media ''and'' by their own coach as "a bunch of castoffs and misfits", as the roster was cobbled together throughout the year with an ever-changing lineup playing the games. Affectionately dubbed The Scrapheap Gang, these Giants were a group of inexperienced, but [[BunnyEarsLawyer talented and sometimes eccentric youngsters]] backed up by some aging veterans and a few guys [[RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap signed and given another chance to play]] when [[PickedLast no other team wanted them]]. Late in the regular season, when they looked like they would miss the playoffs for the sixth straight year, their general manager [[SaveOurTeam held a private meeting with the pitchers]] to break them out of a slump. At the same time, their first baseman [[MisfitMobilizationMoment acquired a red thong that he claimed would lead them to victory]]. And did [[TeamSpirit they ever rise to the challenge]], with one of the strongest final pushes in MLB history. Leaning heavily on the strength of their pitching, particularly that of the starters and of their "unique" closer [[ManlyFacialHair Brian Wilson]] (no, not [[Music/TheBeachBoys that]] Music/BrianWilson), the Giants eventually notched enough wins in September to qualify for the playoffs on the last game of the regular season. The postseason would be even more dramatic, as most of their games, in sport movie fashion, would go DownToTheLastPlay. To boot, almost every game they won would feature an UnlikelyHero, and very often it was someone playing better than they ever had before [[ThePowerOfFriendship to make up for a slumping teammate's play.]] To cite two prominent examples: the MVP of the League Championship Series was Cody Ross, who had been released by the third-place Florida Marlins with six weeks to go in the season. The MVP of the World Series was Edgar Renteria, an aging, injury-prone shortstop who for much of the season slumped so badly that he was reduced to being a part-time starter.
* The 2014 and 2015 Kansas City Royals could also be described as this. The team was cobbled together from across a dozen different countries and didn't even all speak the same language. In 2014, they battled back to earn a spot in the American League Wild Card Game. They nearly lost the game, but battled back in the late innings and won. They proceeded to win a total of eight straight post-season games, setting a new record, against teams with twice their money and much more veteran players. In fact, other than a few players like James Shields and Alex Gordon, very few members of the team could be called veterans of baseball at all. Though they lost the world series to the Giants in 2014, they drove the game all the way down to the nailbiting final out. THEN, motivated by being ninety feet from a tied game, they came roaring into the 2015 season and proceeded to win their division, win the division series, win the American League championship series, (again against teams with twice their money using a smattering of cobbled together players and late additions like Ben Zobrist and Johnny Cueto), and roundly and thoroughly defeat the Mets in just five games to Take The Crown. In both seasons, the Royals won most of their games in come from behind victories as well.
* NFL example: If documentaries by NFL Films (such as the ''America's Game'' series) are anything to go by, the Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders are likely a good example of this, at least the teams from the 70s and 80s under head coaches John Madden and Tom Flores. Featuring many castoffs from other NFL teams, players who were considered washed up, and some colorful personalities with chips on their shoulders, the Raiders were a bunch of misfits who became the "bad guys" of the NFL because of their highly aggressive play (especially players like George Atkinson and Jack Tatum). They were also a successful bunch of misfits, winning Super Bowls XI, XV, and XVIII.
* The Oakland Athletics in the early 2000s, as seen in the book and film ''Film/{{Moneyball}}'', were deliberately assembled as a championship team that the club could actually afford. This entailed culling players from "the Island of Misfit Toys", standouts in one area who flounder in others. A classic example of this was Scott Hatteberg -- where most of baseball saw a catcher with an injury that prevented him from throwing the ball, the A's saw a batter with a preternatural ability to avoid getting an out (and whose arm injury wouldn't matter if they put him at first base instead).
* The Cleveland Cavaliers with Usefulnotes/LeBronJames usually had those as his support cast, aside from a few big names like Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love - or in 2017-18, the over-the-hill Dwyane Wade and Derrick Rose, who were even traded mid-season. Still, LBJ made it work as he led them to 5 finals and one title.
* Many of the NHL's "Cinderella" teams can be described as this. The 2003/2004 Calgary Flames and 2005/2006 Edmonton Oilers could be best described as a group of talentless players (minus one or two) that played their hearts out, sacrificing their bodies to outplay everyone. By the time the dust settled, the teams had little, if any, players healthy enough to play the last games of the playoffs.
* Expansion teams always start with a bunch of castoffs that the rest of the league deemed expendable - less talented free agents, inexperienced players, and veterans nearing retirement. Thus most of the records for bad performances in all major leagues are held by teams in their inaugural seasons. But a major exception was found in the NHL's Vegas Golden Knights, who before the season started were expected to be terrible, [[AndYouThoughtItWouldFail only to reach the Stanley Cup final]].
* The 2011 Arizona Diamondbacks were branded this by the media. While the 2001 World Series team feature a group of proven veterans, the 2011 team featured only Justin Upton as the only star. But coming off a miserable 2010 they managed to grab two pitchers for players of lesser value. They also featured a pitcher that throws a baseball like a tomahawk and the player with the most tattoos in the majors. They managed to unseat the 2010 Giants as division champions, against them no less before losing in the first round of the playoffs.
* The 2013 Boston Red Sox managed this despite being a major market team based on their total failure the year before. They consisted of a bunch of guys who had marginal success throughout their careers and David Ortiz. They were guided by the bombing of the Boston Marathon earlier in the year and also were unified in the fact that every member had a beard.
* In 1973, Bing Russell ([[Creator/KurtRussell Kurt's dad]]) brought a bunch of hopefuls, has-beens, and never-weres to Portland, Oregon, and called them the Mavericks. The [[UsefulNotes/MinorLeagueBaseball short-season Class A ball club]], under the first female general manager in professional baseball history, was independent but soon started beating farm teams. Badly. The Mavericks won their division three seasons in a row and had the best record in the league in 1977. Then narrowly lost the 1977 championship series to the Bellingham Mariners, Seattle's farm team. The majors took that as an affront, bought out the Mavericks over the winter, and put a Class AAA expansion farm team in Portland. Portland fans preferred the ragtag bunch of misfits; less than half as many fans came out for Beavers' home games. A documentary about the team, ''The Battered Bastards of Baseball'', debuted at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival and can be watched on Netflix.
* The first real Cinderella run in the [[UsefulNotes/{{Basketball}} NCAA basketball tournament]] was by Utah in 1944, and they were a classic sports example. With UsefulNotes/WorldWarII raging, Utes coach Vadal Peterson faced several huge obstacles going into the season: a bunch of his players had been drafted, all the other teams in the conference had canceled their seasons, and the Army was using the Utes' home gym as a barracks. Peterson held open tryouts for the team and pulled together a team with four freshman starters, and also featuring two Japanese-American players, a huge novelty and also very socially significant during the war years. They ended up playing most of their games against local military teams (plus a couple of colleges from Idaho and Colorado) and bounced between the tiny university women's gym, a gym owned by [[UsefulNotes/{{Mormonism}} the LDS Church]] and a local high school gym for home games. Still, they only lost three games in the regular season and got an invitation to play in the NIT in New York, then considered the equal to the NCAA tournament. After losing to Kentucky in the first round, it appeared their season was over, and they decided to stay in New York a few more days to sightsee. But then they got word that the Arkansas team had gotten into a car accident on the way to Kansas City for the NCAA West regional, and the NCAA invited Utah to be a last-second replacement. They accepted the invite, won the regional, then returned to New York, where they defeated East regional champ Dartmouth in the national championship game, then turned around and defeated NIT champ St. John's in a benefit game for the Red Cross, sealing their unlikely championship.
* The American Football League in its first few seasons. Born out of the mutual desire of would-be NFL owners (who were denied opportunities to buy into the existing National Football League), the player rosters and coaching staffs were full of NFL castoffs and rejects (The biggest name among the early batch would be Houston QB/K George Blanda, starter for the Chicago Bears for over a decade before being cut), along with players from smaller schools and historically black colleges that the NFL largely ignored. There were a handful of big time college players signed (like 1959 Heisman winner Billy Cannon, who was Houston's first ever draft pick), but until around 1965 (with the signing of Alabama QB Joe Namath by the NY Jets), this was the AFL standard operating procedure. They eventually came to be considered equals to the NFL... But this was around the time of the NFL/AFL merger, when the AFL ceased to exist as a separate league.
!!Armies
* The 1980 Winter Olympics featured the Soviet Hockey juggernaut playing against a bunch of college hockey players who just happened to be playing for the United States. In what would become known as the Miracle on Ice, the college kids toppled the Russians 4-3, with a little help from the [[HomeFieldAdvantage home crowd.]] Canada did it first, eight years earlier, with an All-Star lineup of Usefulnotes/NationalHockeyLeague players - many of them future Hall of Famers - and in an exhibition series, ''not'' the Olympics. The Americans? Over a third of the team, including the captain, never played a minute in the NHL.
* [[UsefulNotes/BritishFootyTeams Wimbeldon FC's]] "Crazy Gang," with a reputation for pulling an assortment of practical jokes on each other and their manager as well as for playing UsefulNotes/AssociationFootball with a very unsophisticated and amateurish style, were able to beat the much more skilled Liverpool squad in the 1988 FA Cup Final against all expectations.
* The 2010 [[UsefulNotes/{{Baseball}} World Series]] champion [[http://www.sfgiants.com San Francisco Giants]], a team literally described in the media ''and'' by their own coach as "a bunch of castoffs and misfits", as the roster was cobbled together throughout the year with an ever-changing lineup playing the games. Affectionately dubbed The Scrapheap Gang, these Giants were a group of inexperienced, but [[BunnyEarsLawyer talented and sometimes eccentric youngsters]] backed up by some aging veterans and a few guys [[RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap signed and given another chance to play]] when [[PickedLast no other team wanted them]]. Late in the regular season, when they looked like they would miss the playoffs for the sixth straight year, their general manager [[SaveOurTeam held a private meeting with the pitchers]] to break them out of a slump. At the same time, their first baseman [[MisfitMobilizationMoment acquired a red thong that he claimed would lead them to victory]]. And did [[TeamSpirit they ever rise to the challenge]], with one of the strongest final pushes in MLB history. Leaning heavily on the strength of their pitching, particularly that of the starters and of their "unique" closer [[ManlyFacialHair Brian Wilson]] (no, not [[Music/TheBeachBoys that]] Music/BrianWilson), the Giants eventually notched enough wins in September to qualify for the playoffs on the last game of the regular season. The postseason would be even more dramatic, as most of their games, in sport movie fashion, would go DownToTheLastPlay. To boot, almost every game they won would feature an UnlikelyHero, and very often it was someone playing better than they ever had before [[ThePowerOfFriendship to make up for a slumping teammate's play.]] To cite two prominent examples: the MVP of the League Championship Series was Cody Ross, who had been released by the third-place Florida Marlins with six weeks to go in the season. The MVP of the World Series was Edgar Renteria, an aging, injury-prone shortstop who for much of the season slumped so badly that he was reduced to being a part-time starter.
* The 2014 and 2015 Kansas City Royals could also be described as this. The team was cobbled together from across a dozen different countries and didn't even all speak the same language. In 2014, they battled back to earn a spot in the American League Wild Card Game. They nearly lost the game, but battled back in the late innings and won. They proceeded to win a total of eight straight post-season games, setting a new record, against teams with twice their money and much more veteran players. In fact, other than a few players like James Shields and Alex Gordon, very few members of the team could be called veterans of baseball at all. Though they lost the world series to the Giants in 2014, they drove the game all the way down to the nailbiting final out. THEN, motivated by being ninety feet from a tied game, they came roaring into the 2015 season and proceeded to win their division, win the division series, win the American League championship series, (again against teams with twice their money using a smattering of cobbled together players and late additions like Ben Zobrist and Johnny Cueto), and roundly and thoroughly defeat the Mets in just five games to Take The Crown. In both seasons, the Royals won most of their games in come from behind victories as well.
* NFL example: If documentaries by NFL Films (such as the ''America's Game'' series) are anything to go by, the Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders are likely a good example of this, at least the teams from the 70s and 80s under head coaches John Madden and Tom Flores. Featuring many castoffs from other NFL teams, players who were considered washed up, and some colorful personalities with chips on their shoulders, the Raiders were a bunch of misfits who became the "bad guys" of the NFL because of their highly aggressive play (especially players like George Atkinson and Jack Tatum). They were also a successful bunch of misfits, winning Super Bowls XI, XV, and XVIII.
* The Oakland Athletics in the early 2000s, as seen in the book and film ''Film/{{Moneyball}}'', were deliberately assembled as a championship team that the club could actually afford. This entailed culling players from "the Island of Misfit Toys", standouts in one area who flounder in others. A classic example of this was Scott Hatteberg -- where most of baseball saw a catcher with an injury that prevented him from throwing the ball, the A's saw a batter with a preternatural ability to avoid getting an out (and whose arm injury wouldn't matter if they put him at first base instead).
* The Cleveland Cavaliers with Usefulnotes/LeBronJames usually had those as his support cast, aside from a few big names like Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love - or in 2017-18, the over-the-hill Dwyane Wade and Derrick Rose, who were even traded mid-season. Still, LBJ made it work as he led them to 5 finals and one title.
* Many of the NHL's "Cinderella" teams can be described as this. The 2003/2004 Calgary Flames and 2005/2006 Edmonton Oilers could be best described as a group of talentless players (minus one or two) that played their hearts out, sacrificing their bodies to outplay everyone. By the time the dust settled, the teams had little, if any, players healthy enough to play the last games of the playoffs.
* Expansion teams always start with a bunch of castoffs that the rest of the league deemed expendable - less talented free agents, inexperienced players, and veterans nearing retirement. Thus most of the records for bad performances in all major leagues are held by teams in their inaugural seasons. But a major exception was found in the NHL's Vegas Golden Knights, who before the season started were expected to be terrible, [[AndYouThoughtItWouldFail only to reach the Stanley Cup final]].
* The 2011 Arizona Diamondbacks were branded this by the media. While the 2001 World Series team feature a group of proven veterans, the 2011 team featured only Justin Upton as the only star. But coming off a miserable 2010 they managed to grab two pitchers for players of lesser value. They also featured a pitcher that throws a baseball like a tomahawk and the player with the most tattoos in the majors. They managed to unseat the 2010 Giants as division champions, against them no less before losing in the first round of the playoffs.
* The 2013 Boston Red Sox managed this despite being a major market team based on their total failure the year before. They consisted of a bunch of guys who had marginal success throughout their careers and David Ortiz. They were guided by the bombing of the Boston Marathon earlier in the year and also were unified in the fact that every member had a beard.
* In 1973, Bing Russell ([[Creator/KurtRussell Kurt's dad]]) brought a bunch of hopefuls, has-beens, and never-weres to Portland, Oregon, and called them the Mavericks. The [[UsefulNotes/MinorLeagueBaseball short-season Class A ball club]], under the first female general manager in professional baseball history, was independent but soon started beating farm teams. Badly. The Mavericks won their division three seasons in a row and had the best record in the league in 1977. Then narrowly lost the 1977 championship series to the Bellingham Mariners, Seattle's farm team. The majors took that as an affront, bought out the Mavericks over the winter, and put a Class AAA expansion farm team in Portland. Portland fans preferred the ragtag bunch of misfits; less than half as many fans came out for Beavers' home games. A documentary about the team, ''The Battered Bastards of Baseball'', debuted at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival and can be watched on Netflix.
* The first real Cinderella run in the [[UsefulNotes/{{Basketball}} NCAA basketball tournament]] was by Utah in 1944, and they were a classic sports example. With UsefulNotes/WorldWarII raging, Utes coach Vadal Peterson faced several huge obstacles going into the season: a bunch of his players had been drafted, all the other teams in the conference had canceled their seasons, and the Army was using the Utes' home gym as a barracks. Peterson held open tryouts for the team and pulled together a team with four freshman starters, and also featuring two Japanese-American players, a huge novelty and also very socially significant during the war years. They ended up playing most of their games against local military teams (plus a couple of colleges from Idaho and Colorado) and bounced between the tiny university women's gym, a gym owned by [[UsefulNotes/{{Mormonism}} the LDS Church]] and a local high school gym for home games. Still, they only lost three games in the regular season and got an invitation to play in the NIT in New York, then considered the equal to the NCAA tournament. After losing to Kentucky in the first round, it appeared their season was over, and they decided to stay in New York a few more days to sightsee. But then they got word that the Arkansas team had gotten into a car accident on the way to Kansas City for the NCAA West regional, and the NCAA invited Utah to be a last-second replacement. They accepted the invite, won the regional, then returned to New York, where they defeated East regional champ Dartmouth in the national championship game, then turned around and defeated NIT champ St. John's in a benefit game for the Red Cross, sealing their unlikely championship.
* The American Football League in its first few seasons. Born out of the mutual desire of would-be NFL owners (who were denied opportunities to buy into the existing National Football League), the player rosters and coaching staffs were full of NFL castoffs and rejects (The biggest name among the early batch would be Houston QB/K George Blanda, starter for the Chicago Bears for over a decade before being cut), along with players from smaller schools and historically black colleges that the NFL largely ignored. There were a handful of big time college players signed (like 1959 Heisman winner Billy Cannon, who was Houston's first ever draft pick), but until around 1965 (with the signing of Alabama QB Joe Namath by the NY Jets), this was the AFL standard operating procedure. They eventually came to be considered equals to the NFL... But this was around the time of the NFL/AFL merger, when the AFL ceased to exist as a separate league.
!!Armies
Deleted line(s) 4 (click to see context) :
* The ships that ended up discovering the Americas originally had an overwhelming majority of criminals and other lowlifes as their crews, as they weren't even expected to make it through alive, let alone come back. (Predictably, malnutrition and illnesses did end up mowing a lot of them down on the way.) This also partly explains the horrible treatment the natives suffered.
Deleted line(s) 13 (click to see context) :
* Speaking of the Russian Red Army, The 1980 Winter Olympics featured the Soviet Hockey juggernaut playing against a bunch of college hockey players who just happened to be playing for the United States. In what would become known as the Miracle on Ice, the college kids toppled the Russians 4-3, with a little help from the [[HomeFieldAdvantage home crowd.]] Canada did it first, eight years earlier, with an All-Star lineup of Usefulnotes/NationalHockeyLeague players - many of them future Hall of Famers - and in an exhibition series, ''not'' the Olympics. The Americans? Over a third of the team, including the captain, never played a minute in the NHL.
Deleted line(s) 19,21 (click to see context) :
* [[UsefulNotes/BritishFootyTeams Wimbeldon FC's]] "Crazy Gang," with a reputation for pulling an assortment of practical jokes on each other and their manager as well as for playing UsefulNotes/AssociationFootball with a very unsophisticated and amateurish style, were able to beat the much more skilled Liverpool squad in the 1988 FA Cup Final against all expectations.
* [[UsefulNotes/{{Jesus}} Rabbi Yeshua bar Yosef of Nazareth]] and his friends/followers definitely fit this trope. His disciples included a [[HotBlooded hot-headed]] redneck fisherman known for needing things explained to him multiple times, a pair of hot-headed redneck fisherman [[BashBrothers brothers]] known for getting into [[GoodOldFisticuffs fights]], a guy who admired his master in a [[AmbiguouslyGay different way]] than the others, a Rome-hating [[BombThrowingAnarchists Zealot]] and a [[CategoryTraitor Roman-employed]] tax collector, a guy best known for his [[SourSupporter doubt]], and a guy best known for [[DeceptiveDisciple selling his master out]]. Then there are the ''other'' people Jesus hung out with. His best friends/biggest supporters included (scandalously!) a [[ThePlague leper]] and an [[HookerWithAHeartOfGold ex-prostitute]]. Just this list demonstrates how radically un-judgemental the guy was.
** Then there’s Jesus himself, a small-town guy who worked construction for a living, got dissed on for his country accent when he went to the big city, and [[NeverAcceptedInHisHometown never was accepted in his home town]], at least partly because of his [[HeroicBastard dubious parentage]] (of course, nobody believed Mary when she told them who [[{{God}} the daddy]] was). Even away from home, he was unjustly accused by [[HolierThanThou pious folks]] of being a drunken party boy because of the “tax-collectors and sinners” he hung around with.
* [[UsefulNotes/{{Jesus}} Rabbi Yeshua bar Yosef of Nazareth]] and his friends/followers definitely fit this trope. His disciples included a [[HotBlooded hot-headed]] redneck fisherman known for needing things explained to him multiple times, a pair of hot-headed redneck fisherman [[BashBrothers brothers]] known for getting into [[GoodOldFisticuffs fights]], a guy who admired his master in a [[AmbiguouslyGay different way]] than the others, a Rome-hating [[BombThrowingAnarchists Zealot]] and a [[CategoryTraitor Roman-employed]] tax collector, a guy best known for his [[SourSupporter doubt]], and a guy best known for [[DeceptiveDisciple selling his master out]]. Then there are the ''other'' people Jesus hung out with. His best friends/biggest supporters included (scandalously!) a [[ThePlague leper]] and an [[HookerWithAHeartOfGold ex-prostitute]]. Just this list demonstrates how radically un-judgemental the guy was.
** Then there’s Jesus himself, a small-town guy who worked construction for a living, got dissed on for his country accent when he went to the big city, and [[NeverAcceptedInHisHometown never was accepted in his home town]], at least partly because of his [[HeroicBastard dubious parentage]] (of course, nobody believed Mary when she told them who [[{{God}} the daddy]] was). Even away from home, he was unjustly accused by [[HolierThanThou pious folks]] of being a drunken party boy because of the “tax-collectors and sinners” he hung around with.
Deleted line(s) 35,38 (click to see context) :
* The 2010 [[UsefulNotes/{{Baseball}} World Series]] champion [[http://www.sfgiants.com San Francisco Giants]], a team literally described in the media ''and'' by their own coach as "a bunch of castoffs and misfits", as the roster was cobbled together throughout the year with an ever-changing lineup playing the games. Affectionately dubbed The Scrapheap Gang, these Giants were a group of inexperienced, but [[BunnyEarsLawyer talented and sometimes eccentric youngsters]] backed up by some aging veterans and a few guys [[RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap signed and given another chance to play]] when [[PickedLast no other team wanted them]]. Late in the regular season, when they looked like they would miss the playoffs for the sixth straight year, their general manager [[SaveOurTeam held a private meeting with the pitchers]] to break them out of a slump. At the same time, their first baseman [[MisfitMobilizationMoment acquired a red thong that he claimed would lead them to victory]]. And did [[TeamSpirit they ever rise to the challenge]], with one of the strongest final pushes in MLB history. Leaning heavily on the strength of their pitching, particularly that of the starters and of their "unique" closer [[ManlyFacialHair Brian Wilson]] (no, not [[Music/TheBeachBoys that]] Music/BrianWilson), the Giants eventually notched enough wins in September to qualify for the playoffs on the last game of the regular season. The postseason would be even more dramatic, as most of their games, in sport movie fashion, would go DownToTheLastPlay. To boot, almost every game they won would feature an UnlikelyHero, and very often it was someone playing better than they ever had before [[ThePowerOfFriendship to make up for a slumping teammate's play.]] To cite two prominent examples: the MVP of the League Championship Series was Cody Ross, who had been released by the third-place Florida Marlins with six weeks to go in the season. The MVP of the World Series was Edgar Renteria, an aging, injury-prone shortstop who for much of the season slumped so badly that he was reduced to being a part-time starter.
* The 2014 and 2015 Kansas City Royals could also be described as this. The team was cobbled together from across a dozen different countries and didn't even all speak the same language. In 2014, they battled back to earn a spot in the American League Wild Card Game. They nearly lost the game, but battled back in the late innings and won. They proceeded to win a total of eight straight post-season games, setting a new record, against teams with twice their money and much more veteran players. In fact, other than a few players like James Shields and Alex Gordon, very few members of the team could be called veterans of baseball at all. Though they lost the world series to the Giants in 2014, they drove the game all the way down to the nailbiting final out. THEN, motivated by being ninety feet from a tied game, they came roaring into the 2015 season and proceeded to win their division, win the division series, win the American League championship series, (again against teams with twice their money using a smattering of cobbled together players and late additions like Ben Zobrist and Johnny Cueto), and roundly and thoroughly defeat the Mets in just five games to Take The Crown. In both seasons, the Royals won most of their games in come from behind victories as well.
* NFL example: If documentaries by NFL Films (such as the ''America's Game'' series) are anything to go by, the Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders are likely a good example of this, at least the teams from the 70s and 80s under head coaches John Madden and Tom Flores. Featuring many castoffs from other NFL teams, players who were considered washed up, and some colorful personalities with chips on their shoulders, the Raiders were a bunch of misfits who became the "bad guys" of the NFL because of their highly aggressive play (especially players like George Atkinson and Jack Tatum). They were also a successful bunch of misfits, winning Super Bowls XI, XV, and XVIII.
* ''[[http://outcastsunited.com/ Outcasts United]]'' by Warren St. John is a real-life example of this. It is the story of a bunch of refugees who ended up living in Clarkston, Georgia (a small suburb of UsefulNotes/{{Atlanta}}), which became a resettlement center for refugees from war zones in Liberia, Congo, Sudan, Iraq, and Afghanistan. These kids eventually start a soccer team, the Fugees, with the help of Luma Mufleh, an American educated Jordanian woman. It the prejudice they endured and the money struggles they have, and the culture clashes (such as how in Georgia soccer is a sport associated with rich people).
* The 2014 and 2015 Kansas City Royals could also be described as this. The team was cobbled together from across a dozen different countries and didn't even all speak the same language. In 2014, they battled back to earn a spot in the American League Wild Card Game. They nearly lost the game, but battled back in the late innings and won. They proceeded to win a total of eight straight post-season games, setting a new record, against teams with twice their money and much more veteran players. In fact, other than a few players like James Shields and Alex Gordon, very few members of the team could be called veterans of baseball at all. Though they lost the world series to the Giants in 2014, they drove the game all the way down to the nailbiting final out. THEN, motivated by being ninety feet from a tied game, they came roaring into the 2015 season and proceeded to win their division, win the division series, win the American League championship series, (again against teams with twice their money using a smattering of cobbled together players and late additions like Ben Zobrist and Johnny Cueto), and roundly and thoroughly defeat the Mets in just five games to Take The Crown. In both seasons, the Royals won most of their games in come from behind victories as well.
* NFL example: If documentaries by NFL Films (such as the ''America's Game'' series) are anything to go by, the Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders are likely a good example of this, at least the teams from the 70s and 80s under head coaches John Madden and Tom Flores. Featuring many castoffs from other NFL teams, players who were considered washed up, and some colorful personalities with chips on their shoulders, the Raiders were a bunch of misfits who became the "bad guys" of the NFL because of their highly aggressive play (especially players like George Atkinson and Jack Tatum). They were also a successful bunch of misfits, winning Super Bowls XI, XV, and XVIII.
* ''[[http://outcastsunited.com/ Outcasts United]]'' by Warren St. John is a real-life example of this. It is the story of a bunch of refugees who ended up living in Clarkston, Georgia (a small suburb of UsefulNotes/{{Atlanta}}), which became a resettlement center for refugees from war zones in Liberia, Congo, Sudan, Iraq, and Afghanistan. These kids eventually start a soccer team, the Fugees, with the help of Luma Mufleh, an American educated Jordanian woman. It the prejudice they endured and the money struggles they have, and the culture clashes (such as how in Georgia soccer is a sport associated with rich people).
Deleted line(s) 40,46 (click to see context) :
* The Oakland Athletics in the early 2000s, as seen in the book and film ''Film/{{Moneyball}}'', were deliberately assembled as a championship team that the club could actually afford. This entailed culling players from "the Island of Misfit Toys", standouts in one area who flounder in others. A classic example of this was Scott Hatteberg -- where most of baseball saw a catcher with an injury that prevented him from throwing the ball, the A's saw a batter with a preternatural ability to avoid getting an out (and whose arm injury wouldn't matter if they put him at first base instead).
* The Cleveland Cavaliers with Usefulnotes/LeBronJames usually had those as his support cast, aside from a few big names like Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love - or in 2017-18, the over-the-hill Dwyane Wade and Derrick Rose, who were even traded mid-season. Still, LBJ made it work as he led them to 5 finals and one title.
* Many of the NHL's "Cinderella" teams can be described as this. The 2003/2004 Calgary Flames and 2005/2006 Edmonton Oilers could be best described as a group of talentless players (minus one or two) that played their hearts out, sacrificing their bodies to outplay everyone. By the time the dust settled, the teams had little, if any, players healthy enough to play the last games of the playoffs.
* Expansion teams always start with a bunch of castoffs that the rest of the league deemed expendable - less talented free agents, inexperienced players, and veterans nearing retirement. Thus most of the records for bad performances in all major leagues are held by teams in their inaugural seasons. But a major exception was found in the NHL's Vegas Golden Knights, who before the season started were expected to be terrible, [[AndYouThoughtItWouldFail only to reach the Stanley Cup final]].
* The 2011 Arizona Diamondbacks were branded this by the media. While the 2001 World Series team feature a group of proven veterans, the 2011 team featured only Justin Upton as the only star. But coming off a miserable 2010 they managed to grab two pitchers for players of lesser value. They also featured a pitcher that throws a baseball like a tomahawk and the player with the most tattoos in the majors. They managed to unseat the 2010 Giants as division champions, against them no less before losing in the first round of the playoffs.
* Website/{{Reddit}} and Website/FourChan's /v/ board had a competition in ''[[{{VideoGame/Tribes}} Tribes: Ascend]]''. Team Reddit was a well-coordinated, heavily practiced team with high-end computers; Team 4chan was a hastily-gathered team of /v/irgins run by a UsefulNotes/{{furry|Fandom}} with a tripcode and a Brazilian sniper with 140 ping playing on toasters. 4chan won 3-2.
-->"WE WINNERS NOW"
* The Cleveland Cavaliers with Usefulnotes/LeBronJames usually had those as his support cast, aside from a few big names like Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love - or in 2017-18, the over-the-hill Dwyane Wade and Derrick Rose, who were even traded mid-season. Still, LBJ made it work as he led them to 5 finals and one title.
* Many of the NHL's "Cinderella" teams can be described as this. The 2003/2004 Calgary Flames and 2005/2006 Edmonton Oilers could be best described as a group of talentless players (minus one or two) that played their hearts out, sacrificing their bodies to outplay everyone. By the time the dust settled, the teams had little, if any, players healthy enough to play the last games of the playoffs.
* Expansion teams always start with a bunch of castoffs that the rest of the league deemed expendable - less talented free agents, inexperienced players, and veterans nearing retirement. Thus most of the records for bad performances in all major leagues are held by teams in their inaugural seasons. But a major exception was found in the NHL's Vegas Golden Knights, who before the season started were expected to be terrible, [[AndYouThoughtItWouldFail only to reach the Stanley Cup final]].
* The 2011 Arizona Diamondbacks were branded this by the media. While the 2001 World Series team feature a group of proven veterans, the 2011 team featured only Justin Upton as the only star. But coming off a miserable 2010 they managed to grab two pitchers for players of lesser value. They also featured a pitcher that throws a baseball like a tomahawk and the player with the most tattoos in the majors. They managed to unseat the 2010 Giants as division champions, against them no less before losing in the first round of the playoffs.
* Website/{{Reddit}} and Website/FourChan's /v/ board had a competition in ''[[{{VideoGame/Tribes}} Tribes: Ascend]]''. Team Reddit was a well-coordinated, heavily practiced team with high-end computers; Team 4chan was a hastily-gathered team of /v/irgins run by a UsefulNotes/{{furry|Fandom}} with a tripcode and a Brazilian sniper with 140 ping playing on toasters. 4chan won 3-2.
-->"WE WINNERS NOW"
Deleted line(s) 51 (click to see context) :
* For the effects Creator/GeorgeLucas wanted for ''Franchise/StarWars: Film/ANewHope'', supervisor John Dykstra assembled some college students, artists, and engineers to create Creator/IndustrialLightAndMagic. In their large empty warehouse, they wound up wasting $1 million (lots of miniatures and technology were created, but the only scene they made that could be salvaged was the Tantive IV's escape pod being released, which even opened the ''Star Wars'' trailer) and [[http://books.google.com/books?id=wYEYF8JvNnoC&pg=PT104 had an unorthodox working environment]] that shocked Creator/TwentiethCenturyFox executives when they visited. Once Lucas returned from the [[TroubledProduction already-screwed enough shoot in England]], he put the motley crew of technicians under a tight leash to make sure the effects were made (a year's worth of work in six months)... but not before he was hospitalized in shock.
Deleted line(s) 53 (click to see context) :
* The 2013 Boston Red Sox managed this despite being a major market team based on their total failure the year before. They consisted of a bunch of guys who had marginal success throughout their careers and David Ortiz. They were guided by the bombing of the Boston Marathon earlier in the year and also were unified in the fact that every member had a beard.
Changed line(s) 60,62 (click to see context) from:
* In 1973, Bing Russell ([[Creator/KurtRussell Kurt's dad]]) brought a bunch of hopefuls, has-beens, and never-weres to Portland, Oregon, and called them the Mavericks. The [[UsefulNotes/MinorLeagueBaseball short-season Class A ball club]], under the first female general manager in professional baseball history, was independent but soon started beating farm teams. Badly. The Mavericks won their division three seasons in a row and had the best record in the league in 1977. Then narrowly lost the 1977 championship series to the Bellingham Mariners, Seattle's farm team. The majors took that as an affront, bought out the Mavericks over the winter, and put a Class AAA expansion farm team in Portland. Portland fans preferred the ragtag bunch of misfits; less than half as many fans came out for Beavers' home games. A documentary about the team, ''The Battered Bastards of Baseball'', debuted at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival and can be watched on Netflix.
* The first real Cinderella run in the [[UsefulNotes/{{Basketball}} NCAA basketball tournament]] was by Utah in 1944, and they were a classic sports example. With UsefulNotes/WorldWarII raging, Utes coach Vadal Peterson faced several huge obstacles going into the season: a bunch of his players had been drafted, all the other teams in the conference had canceled their seasons, and the Army was using the Utes' home gym as a barracks. Peterson held open tryouts for the team and pulled together a team with four freshman starters, and also featuring two Japanese-American players, a huge novelty and also very socially significant during the war years. They ended up playing most of their games against local military teams (plus a couple of colleges from Idaho and Colorado) and bounced between the tiny university women's gym, a gym owned by [[UsefulNotes/{{Mormonism}} the LDS Church]] and a local high school gym for home games. Still, they only lost three games in the regular season and got an invitation to play in the NIT in New York, then considered the equal to the NCAA tournament. After losing to Kentucky in the first round, it appeared their season was over, and they decided to stay in New York a few more days to sightsee. But then they got word that the Arkansas team had gotten into a car accident on the way to Kansas City for the NCAA West regional, and the NCAA invited Utah to be a last-second replacement. They accepted the invite, won the regional, then returned to New York, where they defeated East regional champ Dartmouth in the national championship game, then turned around and defeated NIT champ St. John's in a benefit game for the Red Cross, sealing their unlikely championship.
* The American Football League in its first few seasons. Born out of the mutual desire of would-be NFL owners (who were denied opportunities to buy into the existing National Football League), the player rosters and coaching staffs were full of NFL castoffs and rejects (The biggest name among the early batch would be Houston QB/K George Blanda, starter for the Chicago Bears for over a decade before being cut), along with players from smaller schools and historically black colleges that the NFL largely ignored. There were a handful of big time college players signed (like 1959 Heisman winner Billy Cannon, who was Houston's first ever draft pick), but until around 1965 (with the signing of Alabama QB Joe Namath by the NY Jets), this was the AFL standard operating procedure. They eventually came to be considered equals to the NFL... But this was around the time of the NFL/AFL merger, when the AFL ceased to exist as a separate league.
* The first real Cinderella run in the [[UsefulNotes/{{Basketball}} NCAA basketball tournament]] was by Utah in 1944, and they were a classic sports example. With UsefulNotes/WorldWarII raging, Utes coach Vadal Peterson faced several huge obstacles going into the season: a bunch of his players had been drafted, all the other teams in the conference had canceled their seasons, and the Army was using the Utes' home gym as a barracks. Peterson held open tryouts for the team and pulled together a team with four freshman starters, and also featuring two Japanese-American players, a huge novelty and also very socially significant during the war years. They ended up playing most of their games against local military teams (plus a couple of colleges from Idaho and Colorado) and bounced between the tiny university women's gym, a gym owned by [[UsefulNotes/{{Mormonism}} the LDS Church]] and a local high school gym for home games. Still, they only lost three games in the regular season and got an invitation to play in the NIT in New York, then considered the equal to the NCAA tournament. After losing to Kentucky in the first round, it appeared their season was over, and they decided to stay in New York a few more days to sightsee. But then they got word that the Arkansas team had gotten into a car accident on the way to Kansas City for the NCAA West regional, and the NCAA invited Utah to be a last-second replacement. They accepted the invite, won the regional, then returned to New York, where they defeated East regional champ Dartmouth in the national championship game, then turned around and defeated NIT champ St. John's in a benefit game for the Red Cross, sealing their unlikely championship.
* The American Football League in its first few seasons. Born out of the mutual desire of would-be NFL owners (who were denied opportunities to buy into the existing National Football League), the player rosters and coaching staffs were full of NFL castoffs and rejects (The biggest name among the early batch would be Houston QB/K George Blanda, starter for the Chicago Bears for over a decade before being cut), along with players from smaller schools and historically black colleges that the NFL largely ignored. There were a handful of big time college players signed (like 1959 Heisman winner Billy Cannon, who was Houston's first ever draft pick), but until around 1965 (with the signing of Alabama QB Joe Namath by the NY Jets), this was the AFL standard operating procedure. They eventually came to be considered equals to the NFL... But this was around the time of the NFL/AFL merger, when the AFL ceased to exist as a separate league.
to:
!!Other groups
*
* [[UsefulNotes/{{Jesus}} Rabbi Yeshua bar Yosef of Nazareth]] and his friends/followers definitely fit this trope. His disciples included a [[HotBlooded hot-headed]] redneck fisherman known for needing things explained to him multiple times, a pair of hot-headed redneck fisherman [[BashBrothers brothers]] known for getting into [[GoodOldFisticuffs fights]], a guy who admired his master in a [[AmbiguouslyGay different way]] than the others, a Rome-hating [[BombThrowingAnarchists Zealot]] and a [[CategoryTraitor Roman-employed]] tax collector, a guy best known for his [[SourSupporter doubt]], and a guy best known for [[DeceptiveDisciple selling his master out]]. Then there are the ''other'' people Jesus hung out with. His best friends/biggest supporters included (scandalously!) a [[ThePlague leper]] and an [[HookerWithAHeartOfGold ex-prostitute]]. Just this list demonstrates how radically un-judgemental the guy was.
** Then there’s Jesus himself, a small-town guy who worked construction for a living, got dissed on for his country accent when he went to the big city, and [[NeverAcceptedInHisHometown never was accepted in his home town]], at least partly because of his [[HeroicBastard dubious parentage]] (of course, nobody believed Mary when she told them who [[{{God}} the daddy]] was). Even away from home, he was unjustly accused by [[HolierThanThou pious folks]] of being a drunken party boy because of the “tax-collectors and sinners” he hung around with.
* ''[[http://outcastsunited.com/ Outcasts United]]'' by Warren St. John is a real-life example of this. It is the story of a bunch of
* The first real Cinderella run in the [[UsefulNotes/{{Basketball}} NCAA basketball tournament]] was by Utah in 1944, and they were a classic sports example. With UsefulNotes/WorldWarII raging, Utes coach Vadal Peterson faced several huge obstacles going into the season: a bunch of his players had been drafted, all the other teams in the conference had canceled their seasons, and the Army was using the Utes' home gym as a barracks. Peterson held open tryouts for the team and pulled together a team with four freshman starters, and also featuring two Japanese-American players, a huge novelty and also very socially significant during the war years. They
* The American Football League in its first few seasons. Born out of the mutual desire of would-be NFL owners (who were denied opportunities to buy into the existing National Football League), the player rosters and coaching staffs were full of NFL castoffs and rejects (The biggest name among the early batch would be Houston QB/K George Blanda, starter for the Chicago Bears for over a decade before being cut), along with players from smaller schools and historically black colleges that the NFL largely ignored. There were a handful of big time college players signed (like 1959 Heisman winner Billy Cannon, who was Houston's first ever draft pick), but until around 1965 (with the signing of Alabama QB Joe Namath by the NY Jets), this was the AFL standard operating procedure. They
* Website/{{Reddit}} and Website/FourChan's /v/ board had a competition in ''[[{{VideoGame/Tribes}} Tribes: Ascend]]''. Team Reddit was
-->"WE WINNERS NOW"
* For the
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 13 (click to see context) from:
* Speaking of the Russian Red Army, The 1980 Winter Olympics featured the Soviet Hockey juggernaut playing against a bunch of college hockey players who just happened to be playing for the United States. In what would become known as the Miracle on Ice, the college kids toppled the Russians 4-3, with a little help from the [[PopularityPower home crowd.]] Canada did it first, eight years earlier, with an All-Star lineup of NHL players - many of them future Hall of Famers - and in an exhibition series, ''not'' the Olympics. The Americans? Over a third of the team, including the captain, never played a minute in the NHL.
to:
* Speaking of the Russian Red Army, The 1980 Winter Olympics featured the Soviet Hockey juggernaut playing against a bunch of college hockey players who just happened to be playing for the United States. In what would become known as the Miracle on Ice, the college kids toppled the Russians 4-3, with a little help from the [[PopularityPower [[HomeFieldAdvantage home crowd.]] Canada did it first, eight years earlier, with an All-Star lineup of NHL Usefulnotes/NationalHockeyLeague players - many of them future Hall of Famers - and in an exhibition series, ''not'' the Olympics. The Americans? Over a third of the team, including the captain, never played a minute in the NHL.
Changed line(s) 41 (click to see context) from:
* The 2017-2018 Cleveland Cavaliers Team After Assembling Dwyane Wade and D-Rose, two fallen stars (Read getting the band back together again)
to:
* The 2017-2018 Cleveland Cavaliers Team After Assembling with Usefulnotes/LeBronJames usually had those as his support cast, aside from a few big names like Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love - or in 2017-18, the over-the-hill Dwyane Wade and D-Rose, two fallen stars (Read getting the band back together again)Derrick Rose, who were even traded mid-season. Still, LBJ made it work as he led them to 5 finals and one title.
Added DiffLines:
* Expansion teams always start with a bunch of castoffs that the rest of the league deemed expendable - less talented free agents, inexperienced players, and veterans nearing retirement. Thus most of the records for bad performances in all major leagues are held by teams in their inaugural seasons. But a major exception was found in the NHL's Vegas Golden Knights, who before the season started were expected to be terrible, [[AndYouThoughtItWouldFail only to reach the Stanley Cup final]].
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 35 (click to see context) from:
* The 2010 [[UsefulNotes/{{Baseball}} World Series]] champion [[http://www.sfgiants.com San Francisco Giants]], a team literally described in the media as "a bunch of castoffs and misfits", as the roster was cobbled together throughout the year with an ever-changing lineup playing the games. Affectionately dubbed The Scrapheap Gang, these Giants were a group of inexperienced, but [[BunnyEarsLawyer talented and sometimes eccentric youngsters]] backed up by some aging veterans and a few guys [[RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap signed and given another chance to play]] when [[PickedLast no other team wanted them]]. Late in the regular season, when they looked like they would miss the playoffs for the sixth straight year, their general manager [[SaveOurTeam held a private meeting with the pitchers]] to break them out of a slump. At the same time, their first baseman [[MisfitMobilizationMoment acquired a red thong that he claimed would lead them to victory]]. And did [[TeamSpirit they ever rise to the challenge]], with one of the strongest final pushes in MLB history. Leaning heavily on the strength of their pitching, particularly that of the starters and of their "unique" closer [[ManlyFacialHair Brian Wilson]] (no, not [[Music/TheBeachBoys that]] Music/BrianWilson), the Giants eventually notched enough wins in September to qualify for the playoffs on the last game of the regular season. The postseason would be even more dramatic, as most of their games, in sport movie fashion, would go DownToTheLastPlay. To boot, almost every game they won would feature an UnlikelyHero, and very often it was someone playing better than they ever had before [[ThePowerOfFriendship to make up for a slumping teammate's play.]] To cite two prominent examples: the MVP of the League Championship Series was Cody Ross, who had been released by the third-place Florida Marlins with six weeks to go in the season. The MVP of the World Series was Edgar Renteria, an aging, injury-prone shortstop who for much of the season slumped so badly that he was reduced to being a part-time starter.
to:
* The 2010 [[UsefulNotes/{{Baseball}} World Series]] champion [[http://www.sfgiants.com San Francisco Giants]], a team literally described in the media ''and'' by their own coach as "a bunch of castoffs and misfits", as the roster was cobbled together throughout the year with an ever-changing lineup playing the games. Affectionately dubbed The Scrapheap Gang, these Giants were a group of inexperienced, but [[BunnyEarsLawyer talented and sometimes eccentric youngsters]] backed up by some aging veterans and a few guys [[RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap signed and given another chance to play]] when [[PickedLast no other team wanted them]]. Late in the regular season, when they looked like they would miss the playoffs for the sixth straight year, their general manager [[SaveOurTeam held a private meeting with the pitchers]] to break them out of a slump. At the same time, their first baseman [[MisfitMobilizationMoment acquired a red thong that he claimed would lead them to victory]]. And did [[TeamSpirit they ever rise to the challenge]], with one of the strongest final pushes in MLB history. Leaning heavily on the strength of their pitching, particularly that of the starters and of their "unique" closer [[ManlyFacialHair Brian Wilson]] (no, not [[Music/TheBeachBoys that]] Music/BrianWilson), the Giants eventually notched enough wins in September to qualify for the playoffs on the last game of the regular season. The postseason would be even more dramatic, as most of their games, in sport movie fashion, would go DownToTheLastPlay. To boot, almost every game they won would feature an UnlikelyHero, and very often it was someone playing better than they ever had before [[ThePowerOfFriendship to make up for a slumping teammate's play.]] To cite two prominent examples: the MVP of the League Championship Series was Cody Ross, who had been released by the third-place Florida Marlins with six weeks to go in the season. The MVP of the World Series was Edgar Renteria, an aging, injury-prone shortstop who for much of the season slumped so badly that he was reduced to being a part-time starter.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
* The Pacific Theater had a downplayed example in Taffy 3, the force that fought the Battle Off Samar. While they were legitimate and competent navy ships, they were never intended to face surface combat and it showed. Taffy 3 consisted largely of destroyer escorts (designed to be cheap and numerous enough to provide effective anti-submarine escorts at the cost of surface combat potential), escort carriers converted from merchant vessels and with all the armor of an ambitious soda can, and 3 actual fleet destroyers. Because the admiral in charge fell for a Japanese decoy, they were left smack in the way of nearly the entire Japanese navy (led by the ''Yamato'', which alone outweighed Taffy 3 in its entirety) without any fleet units heavier than their destroyers. They won the day by fighting so ferociously that Admiral Kurita thought he really ''was'' facing the entire US fleet and withdrew.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
* The 1st United States Volunteer Cavalry, better known as the Rough Riders, was a regiment formed in 1898 to fight in the Spanish-American War. Also known as "Roosevelt's Rough Riders" (due to Theodore Roosevelt resigning his position as Secretary of the Navy to become one of the unit's commanding officers), the Rough Riders were initially made up of cowboys, frontiersmen, prospectors, and other adventurers from Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, and Oklahoma. But after Roosevelt joined the ranks, the Rough Riders received volunteers that included Ivy League college athletes, New York aristocrats, glee club singers, Texas Rangers, and American Indians. Every man who joined the Rough Riders was required to be a skilled horseman, and they received more publicity than any other unit during the war. They are best known for their victory at the Battle of San Juan Hill, during which they ironically fought on foot despite being trained as cavalry because there weren't enough ships to carry their horses to Cuba. After the war, the Rough Riders achieved legendary status due to Roosevelt writing his own history of the regiment as well as silent film reenactments made many years later.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 34 (click to see context) from:
* The 2010 [[UsefulNotes/{{Baseball}} World Series]] champion [[http://www.sfgiants.com San Francisco Giants]], a team literally described in the media as "a bunch of castoffs and misfits", as the roster was cobbled together throughout the year with an ever-changing lineup playing the games. Affectionately dubbed The Scrapheap Gang, these Giants were a group of inexperienced, but [[BunnyEarsLawyer talented and sometimes eccentric youngsters]] backed up by some aging veterans and a few guys [[RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap signed and given another chance to play]] when [[PickedLast no other team wanted them]]. Late in the regular season, when they looked like they would miss the playoffs for the sixth straight year, their general manager [[SaveOurTeam held a private meeting with the pitchers]] to break them out of a slump. At the same time, their first baseman [[MisfitMobilizationMoment acquired a red thong that he claimed would lead them to victory]]. And did [[TeamSpirit they ever rise to the challenge]], with one of the strongest final pushes in MLB history. Leaning heavily on the strength of their pitching, particularly that of the starters and of their "unique" closer [[BadassBeard Brian Wilson]] (no, not [[Music/TheBeachBoys that]] Music/BrianWilson), the Giants eventually notched enough wins in September to qualify for the playoffs on the last game of the regular season. The postseason would be even more dramatic, as most of their games, in sport movie fashion, would go DownToTheLastPlay. To boot, almost every game they won would feature an UnlikelyHero, and very often it was someone playing better than they ever had before [[ThePowerOfFriendship to make up for a slumping teammate's play.]] To cite two prominent examples: the MVP of the League Championship Series was Cody Ross, who had been released by the third-place Florida Marlins with six weeks to go in the season. The MVP of the World Series was Edgar Renteria, an aging, injury-prone shortstop who for much of the season slumped so badly that he was reduced to being a part-time starter.
to:
* The 2010 [[UsefulNotes/{{Baseball}} World Series]] champion [[http://www.sfgiants.com San Francisco Giants]], a team literally described in the media as "a bunch of castoffs and misfits", as the roster was cobbled together throughout the year with an ever-changing lineup playing the games. Affectionately dubbed The Scrapheap Gang, these Giants were a group of inexperienced, but [[BunnyEarsLawyer talented and sometimes eccentric youngsters]] backed up by some aging veterans and a few guys [[RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap signed and given another chance to play]] when [[PickedLast no other team wanted them]]. Late in the regular season, when they looked like they would miss the playoffs for the sixth straight year, their general manager [[SaveOurTeam held a private meeting with the pitchers]] to break them out of a slump. At the same time, their first baseman [[MisfitMobilizationMoment acquired a red thong that he claimed would lead them to victory]]. And did [[TeamSpirit they ever rise to the challenge]], with one of the strongest final pushes in MLB history. Leaning heavily on the strength of their pitching, particularly that of the starters and of their "unique" closer [[BadassBeard [[ManlyFacialHair Brian Wilson]] (no, not [[Music/TheBeachBoys that]] Music/BrianWilson), the Giants eventually notched enough wins in September to qualify for the playoffs on the last game of the regular season. The postseason would be even more dramatic, as most of their games, in sport movie fashion, would go DownToTheLastPlay. To boot, almost every game they won would feature an UnlikelyHero, and very often it was someone playing better than they ever had before [[ThePowerOfFriendship to make up for a slumping teammate's play.]] To cite two prominent examples: the MVP of the League Championship Series was Cody Ross, who had been released by the third-place Florida Marlins with six weeks to go in the season. The MVP of the World Series was Edgar Renteria, an aging, injury-prone shortstop who for much of the season slumped so badly that he was reduced to being a part-time starter.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
-> "Well, it was just the d'ernest thing."
-->-- '''Cpt. John C. "Jack" Lee, Jr.'''
-->-- '''Cpt. John C. "Jack" Lee, Jr.'''
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
* The American Football League in its first few seasons. Born out of the mutual desire of would-be NFL owners (who were denied opportunities to buy into the existing National Football League), the player rosters and coaching staffs were full of NFL castoffs and rejects (The biggest name among the early batch would be Houston QB/K George Blanda, starter for the Chicago Bears for over a decade before being cut), along with players from smaller schools and historically black colleges that the NFL largely ignored. There were a handful of big time college players signed (like 1959 Heisman winner Billy Cannon, who was Houston's first ever draft pick), but until around 1965 (with the signing of Alabama QB Joe Namath by the NY Jets), this was the AFL standard operating procedure. They eventually came to be considered equals to the NFL... But this was around the time of the NFL/AFL merger, when the AFL ceased to exist as a separate league.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
This entry doesnt match the trope very well and doesn't seem to actually be a thing that happened
Deleted line(s) 52 (click to see context) :
* American militia units, especially those that fight drug traffickers. Some are little more than a few friends with some Mosin rifles. Some are old men with hunting shotguns and a couple pocket pistols. What have these militias done? Well, in Mexico, succeeded in fighting the drug cartels with an efficacy the government has failed to achieve with billions of dollars and an entire army. There's a story about an American college kid who spends his vacations down in Mexico, dresses and talks and acts like a Russian soldier, and takes willing villagers with him into combat. They know him as El Mujik. Los Zetas sent a party out looking for him once, and they were swiftly ambushed and exterminated. His other purported claims to fame include supposedly having been a freelance mercenary because he was bored, knowing enough about firearms to donate and distribute working designs for improvised firearms, and [[CrazyAwesome having killed more enemies with his bayonet than by shooting!]] Not bad for a guy who never even pretended to have spent a single day in the military.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
Completely Missing The Point is a disambig
Changed line(s) 19 (click to see context) from:
* [[UsefulNotes/{{Jesus}} Rabbi Yeshua bar Yosef of Nazareth]] and his friends/followers definitely fit this trope. His disciples included a [[HotBlooded hot-headed]] redneck fisherman known for needing things [[CompletelyMissingThePoint explained to him]] multiple times, a pair of hot-headed redneck fisherman [[BashBrothers brothers]] known for getting into [[GoodOldFisticuffs fights]], a guy who admired his master in a [[AmbiguouslyGay different way]] than the others, a Rome-hating [[BombThrowingAnarchists Zealot]] and a [[CategoryTraitor Roman-employed]] tax collector, a guy best known for his [[SourSupporter doubt]], and a guy best known for [[DeceptiveDisciple selling his master out]]. Then there are the ''other'' people Jesus hung out with. His best friends/biggest supporters included (scandalously!) a [[ThePlague leper]] and an [[HookerWithAHeartOfGold ex-prostitute]]. Just this list demonstrates how radically un-judgemental the guy was.
to:
* [[UsefulNotes/{{Jesus}} Rabbi Yeshua bar Yosef of Nazareth]] and his friends/followers definitely fit this trope. His disciples included a [[HotBlooded hot-headed]] redneck fisherman known for needing things [[CompletelyMissingThePoint explained to him]] him multiple times, a pair of hot-headed redneck fisherman [[BashBrothers brothers]] known for getting into [[GoodOldFisticuffs fights]], a guy who admired his master in a [[AmbiguouslyGay different way]] than the others, a Rome-hating [[BombThrowingAnarchists Zealot]] and a [[CategoryTraitor Roman-employed]] tax collector, a guy best known for his [[SourSupporter doubt]], and a guy best known for [[DeceptiveDisciple selling his master out]]. Then there are the ''other'' people Jesus hung out with. His best friends/biggest supporters included (scandalously!) a [[ThePlague leper]] and an [[HookerWithAHeartOfGold ex-prostitute]]. Just this list demonstrates how radically un-judgemental the guy was.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 7 (click to see context) from:
** Modern researchers on the battles of Lexington and Concord have concluded that the Massachusetts Militia actually contained a higher percentage of combat veterans from the French and Indian war than the so-called professional soldiers they opposed. Which probably shouldn't surprise anyone, considering that they managed to pull off a seven mile moving envelopment. One British Officer writing home after the battle concluded "These people know very much what they are about."
to:
** Modern researchers on the battles of Lexington and Concord have concluded that the Massachusetts Militia actually contained a higher percentage of combat veterans from the French and Indian war than the so-called professional soldiers they opposed. Which probably shouldn't surprise anyone, considering that they managed to pull off a seven mile seven-mile moving envelopment. One British Officer writing home after the battle concluded "These people know very much what they are about."
Changed line(s) 13 (click to see context) from:
* Real world example: grab a book about Mexican history, open it on the chapters about the 19th century and the Revolution, and you'll see at least five disorganized bands duking it out for any reason. In fact, the reason why the Cinco de Mayo is a national holiday is because that was the day when a ragtag bunch, led by Ignacio Zaragoza, kicked the crap out of the disciplined and well-equipped French invaders. Puebla was lost a year later but after too much complication the liberals won the war and completely squashed the competition, this time permanently. (That doesn't mean other conflicts appeared but...)
to:
* Real world Real-world example: grab a book about Mexican history, open it on the chapters about the 19th century and the Revolution, and you'll see at least five disorganized bands duking it out for any reason. In fact, the reason why the Cinco de Mayo is a national holiday is because that was the day when a ragtag bunch, led by Ignacio Zaragoza, kicked the crap out of the disciplined and well-equipped French invaders. Puebla was lost a year later but after too much complication the liberals won the war and completely squashed the competition, this time permanently. (That doesn't mean other conflicts appeared but...)
Changed line(s) 20 (click to see context) from:
** Then there’s Jesus himself, a small-town guy who worked construction for a living, got dissed on for his country accent when he went to the big city, and [[NeverAcceptedInHisHometown never was accepted in his home town]], at least partly because of his [[HeroicBastard dubious parentage]] (of course, nobody believed Mary when she told them who [[{{God}} the daddy]] was). Even away from home he was unjustly accused by [[HolierThanThou pious folks]] of being a drunken party boy because of the “tax-collectors and sinners” he hung around with.
to:
** Then there’s Jesus himself, a small-town guy who worked construction for a living, got dissed on for his country accent when he went to the big city, and [[NeverAcceptedInHisHometown never was accepted in his home town]], at least partly because of his [[HeroicBastard dubious parentage]] (of course, nobody believed Mary when she told them who [[{{God}} the daddy]] was). Even away from home home, he was unjustly accused by [[HolierThanThou pious folks]] of being a drunken party boy because of the “tax-collectors and sinners” he hung around with.
Changed line(s) 22 (click to see context) from:
** Their recruitment still is "unconventional", but there is a pretty strict selection process with a psychological evaluation, physical and medical tests and even a test of logic and mental abilities. After that the soldiers receive some of the toughest training in any infantry unit. The basic contracts last for 5 years, and they are deployed regularly (Wikipedia list 5 current missions as per December 2008). So while practically everyone there is some sort of "failure" looking for a second chance, they are much better trained and organized than any movie bunch.
to:
** Their recruitment still is "unconventional", but there is a pretty strict selection process with a psychological evaluation, physical and medical tests tests, and even a test of logic and mental abilities. After that that, the soldiers receive some of the toughest training in any infantry unit. The basic contracts last for 5 years, and they are deployed regularly (Wikipedia list 5 current missions as per December 2008). So while practically everyone there is some sort of "failure" looking for a second chance, they are much better trained and organized than any movie bunch.
Changed line(s) 24 (click to see context) from:
* UsefulNotes/{{Israel}} actually subverts this trope by taking these misfits, and organizing them into settlers and soldiers. They started out as misfits, but due to the unifying and organizing force that was the Zionist movement quickly lost that designation. Most of the country's accomplishments are due to having its MisfitMobilizationMoment very early, and most importantly, before getting involved in any war. Against the expectations of every single military power in the world, said ragtag group beat back the well-equipped Arab Armies, who collectively had as much manpower as Israel had ''people'', including the massive elderly Jewish population of Jerusalem.
to:
* UsefulNotes/{{Israel}} actually subverts this trope by taking these misfits, misfits and organizing them into settlers and soldiers. They started out as misfits, but due to the unifying and organizing force that was the Zionist movement quickly lost that designation. Most of the country's accomplishments are due to having its MisfitMobilizationMoment very early, and most importantly, before getting involved in any war. Against the expectations of every single military power in the world, said ragtag group beat back the well-equipped Arab Armies, who collectively had as much manpower as Israel had ''people'', including the massive elderly Jewish population of Jerusalem.
Changed line(s) 30,31 (click to see context) from:
* The Norwegian resistance movement during UsefulNotes/WorldWarII fits the trope, as the many groups involved developed locally, and didn't have a chance to communicate with the Norwegian exile government for quite some time. Meanwhile, the different groups seemed to step on each other's toes. And yes, they were mostly ordinary guys without proper combat experience, and homemade tools that didn't go off as planned. AND there was the communist faction, who did not communicate well with the others.
* The Haitian slaves owned by France back in the Napoleonic days could be counted on to fight, argue, and fight some more. With the help of Toussaint Louverture, they managed to stop bickering long enough to kick the French's ass. Tragically, they went right back to the whole Ragtag misfit thing, and the country has languished in the third world as a result, although much of that can be attributed to racist treatment[[note]]France refused to recognize Haitian independence for decades and so did the US until the 1860s (on Southern insistence) and Britain. France finally agreed to accept Haitian independence as a fact in exchange for an "indemnity" that Haiti paid in full (mostly on credit) which gave Haiti an epic budget deficit it could never quite shake. France by the way hasn't so much as apologized for the indemnity, and paying it back to Haiti is never so much as discussed[[/note]] and interventions by the other World Powers, not happy of seeing a slave revolt succeed as well as the wrecked state of Haiti's sugar and coffee based economy after the war of independence.
* The Haitian slaves owned by France back in the Napoleonic days could be counted on to fight, argue, and fight some more. With the help of Toussaint Louverture, they managed to stop bickering long enough to kick the French's ass. Tragically, they went right back to the whole Ragtag misfit thing, and the country has languished in the third world as a result, although much of that can be attributed to racist treatment[[note]]France refused to recognize Haitian independence for decades and so did the US until the 1860s (on Southern insistence) and Britain. France finally agreed to accept Haitian independence as a fact in exchange for an "indemnity" that Haiti paid in full (mostly on credit) which gave Haiti an epic budget deficit it could never quite shake. France by the way hasn't so much as apologized for the indemnity, and paying it back to Haiti is never so much as discussed[[/note]] and interventions by the other World Powers, not happy of seeing a slave revolt succeed as well as the wrecked state of Haiti's sugar and coffee based economy after the war of independence.
to:
* The Norwegian resistance movement during UsefulNotes/WorldWarII fits the trope, as the many groups involved developed locally, and didn't have a chance to communicate with the Norwegian exile government for quite some time. Meanwhile, the different groups seemed to step on each other's toes. And yes, they were mostly ordinary guys without proper combat experience, experience and homemade tools that didn't go off as planned. AND there was the communist faction, who did not communicate well with the others.
* The Haitian slaves owned by France back in the Napoleonic days could be counted on to fight, argue, and fight some more. With the help of Toussaint Louverture, they managed to stop bickering long enough to kick the French's ass. Tragically, they went right back to the whole Ragtag misfit thing, and the country has languished in the third world as a result, although much of that can be attributed to racist treatment[[note]]France refused to recognize Haitian independence for decades and so did the US until the 1860s (on Southern insistence) and Britain. France finally agreed to accept Haitian independence as a fact in exchange for an "indemnity" that Haiti paid in full (mostly on credit) which gave Haiti an epic budget deficit it could never quite shake. France by the way hasn't so much as apologized for the indemnity, and paying it back to Haiti is never so much as discussed[[/note]] and interventions by the other World Powers, not happy of seeing a slave revolt succeed as well as the wrecked state of Haiti's sugar andcoffee based coffee-based economy after the war of independence.
* The Haitian slaves owned by France back in the Napoleonic days could be counted on to fight, argue, and fight some more. With the help of Toussaint Louverture, they managed to stop bickering long enough to kick the French's ass. Tragically, they went right back to the whole Ragtag misfit thing, and the country has languished in the third world as a result, although much of that can be attributed to racist treatment[[note]]France refused to recognize Haitian independence for decades and so did the US until the 1860s (on Southern insistence) and Britain. France finally agreed to accept Haitian independence as a fact in exchange for an "indemnity" that Haiti paid in full (mostly on credit) which gave Haiti an epic budget deficit it could never quite shake. France by the way hasn't so much as apologized for the indemnity, and paying it back to Haiti is never so much as discussed[[/note]] and interventions by the other World Powers, not happy of seeing a slave revolt succeed as well as the wrecked state of Haiti's sugar and
Changed line(s) 33,34 (click to see context) from:
* Bolivar's army was a subversion at first (to put it simple: everybody wanted to be the leader by having {{indy ploy}}s every three seconds instead of the ones they were planning for months before...), since they spent around twenty years of 'we did it!...oh, sorry, the Spanish beated us again...' before deciding it was easier to free Colombia and then, with the support of a whole nation, get Venezuela free. It worked.
* The 2010 [[UsefulNotes/{{Baseball}} World Series]] champion [[http://www.sfgiants.com San Francisco Giants]], a team literally described in the media as "a bunch of castoffs and misfits", as the roster was cobbled together throughout the year with an ever-changing lineup playing the games. Affectionately dubbed The Scrapheap Gang, these Giants were a group of inexperienced, but [[BunnyEarsLawyer talented and sometimes eccentric youngsters]] backed up by some aging veterans and a few guys [[RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap signed and given another chance to play]] when [[PickedLast no other team wanted them]]. Late in the regular season, when they looked like they would miss the playoffs for the sixth straight year, their general manager [[SaveOurTeam held a private meeting with the pitchers]] to break them out of a slump. At the same time, their first baseman [[MisfitMobilizationMoment acquired a red thong that he claimed would lead them to victory]]. And did [[TeamSpirit they ever rise to the challenge]], with one of the strongest final pushes in MLB history. Leaning heavily on the strength of their pitching, particularly that of the starters and of their "unique" closer [[BadassBeard Brian Wilson]] (no, not [[Music/TheBeachBoys that]] Music/BrianWilson), the Giants eventually notched enough wins in September to qualify for the playoffs on the last game of the regular season. The postseason would be even more dramatic, as most of their games, in sport movie fashion, would go DownToTheLastPlay. To boot, almost each game they won would feature an UnlikelyHero, and very often it was someone playing better than they ever had before [[ThePowerOfFriendship to make up for a slumping teammate's play.]] To cite two prominent examples: the MVP of the League Championship Series was Cody Ross, who had been released by the third-place Florida Marlins with six weeks to go in the season. The MVP of the World Series was Edgar Renteria, an aging, injury-prone shortstop who for much of the season slumped so badly that he was reduced to being a part-time starter.
* The 2010 [[UsefulNotes/{{Baseball}} World Series]] champion [[http://www.sfgiants.com San Francisco Giants]], a team literally described in the media as "a bunch of castoffs and misfits", as the roster was cobbled together throughout the year with an ever-changing lineup playing the games. Affectionately dubbed The Scrapheap Gang, these Giants were a group of inexperienced, but [[BunnyEarsLawyer talented and sometimes eccentric youngsters]] backed up by some aging veterans and a few guys [[RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap signed and given another chance to play]] when [[PickedLast no other team wanted them]]. Late in the regular season, when they looked like they would miss the playoffs for the sixth straight year, their general manager [[SaveOurTeam held a private meeting with the pitchers]] to break them out of a slump. At the same time, their first baseman [[MisfitMobilizationMoment acquired a red thong that he claimed would lead them to victory]]. And did [[TeamSpirit they ever rise to the challenge]], with one of the strongest final pushes in MLB history. Leaning heavily on the strength of their pitching, particularly that of the starters and of their "unique" closer [[BadassBeard Brian Wilson]] (no, not [[Music/TheBeachBoys that]] Music/BrianWilson), the Giants eventually notched enough wins in September to qualify for the playoffs on the last game of the regular season. The postseason would be even more dramatic, as most of their games, in sport movie fashion, would go DownToTheLastPlay. To boot, almost each game they won would feature an UnlikelyHero, and very often it was someone playing better than they ever had before [[ThePowerOfFriendship to make up for a slumping teammate's play.]] To cite two prominent examples: the MVP of the League Championship Series was Cody Ross, who had been released by the third-place Florida Marlins with six weeks to go in the season. The MVP of the World Series was Edgar Renteria, an aging, injury-prone shortstop who for much of the season slumped so badly that he was reduced to being a part-time starter.
to:
* Bolivar's army was a subversion at first (to put it simple: everybody wanted to be the leader by having {{indy ploy}}s every three seconds instead of the ones they were planning for months before...), ) since they spent around twenty years of 'we did it!...oh, sorry, the Spanish beated beat us again...' before deciding it was easier to free Colombia and then, with the support of a whole nation, get Venezuela free. It worked.
* The 2010 [[UsefulNotes/{{Baseball}} World Series]] champion [[http://www.sfgiants.com San Francisco Giants]], a team literally described in the media as "a bunch of castoffs and misfits", as the roster was cobbled together throughout the year with an ever-changing lineup playing the games. Affectionately dubbed The Scrapheap Gang, these Giants were a group of inexperienced, but [[BunnyEarsLawyer talented and sometimes eccentric youngsters]] backed up by some aging veterans and a few guys [[RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap signed and given another chance to play]] when [[PickedLast no other team wanted them]]. Late in the regular season, when they looked like they would miss the playoffs for the sixth straight year, their general manager [[SaveOurTeam held a private meeting with the pitchers]] to break them out of a slump. At the same time, their first baseman [[MisfitMobilizationMoment acquired a red thong that he claimed would lead them to victory]]. And did [[TeamSpirit they ever rise to the challenge]], with one of the strongest final pushes in MLB history. Leaning heavily on the strength of their pitching, particularly that of the starters and of their "unique" closer [[BadassBeard Brian Wilson]] (no, not [[Music/TheBeachBoys that]] Music/BrianWilson), the Giants eventually notched enough wins in September to qualify for the playoffs on the last game of the regular season. The postseason would be even more dramatic, as most of their games, in sport movie fashion, would go DownToTheLastPlay. To boot, almosteach every game they won would feature an UnlikelyHero, and very often it was someone playing better than they ever had before [[ThePowerOfFriendship to make up for a slumping teammate's play.]] To cite two prominent examples: the MVP of the League Championship Series was Cody Ross, who had been released by the third-place Florida Marlins with six weeks to go in the season. The MVP of the World Series was Edgar Renteria, an aging, injury-prone shortstop who for much of the season slumped so badly that he was reduced to being a part-time starter.
* The 2010 [[UsefulNotes/{{Baseball}} World Series]] champion [[http://www.sfgiants.com San Francisco Giants]], a team literally described in the media as "a bunch of castoffs and misfits", as the roster was cobbled together throughout the year with an ever-changing lineup playing the games. Affectionately dubbed The Scrapheap Gang, these Giants were a group of inexperienced, but [[BunnyEarsLawyer talented and sometimes eccentric youngsters]] backed up by some aging veterans and a few guys [[RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap signed and given another chance to play]] when [[PickedLast no other team wanted them]]. Late in the regular season, when they looked like they would miss the playoffs for the sixth straight year, their general manager [[SaveOurTeam held a private meeting with the pitchers]] to break them out of a slump. At the same time, their first baseman [[MisfitMobilizationMoment acquired a red thong that he claimed would lead them to victory]]. And did [[TeamSpirit they ever rise to the challenge]], with one of the strongest final pushes in MLB history. Leaning heavily on the strength of their pitching, particularly that of the starters and of their "unique" closer [[BadassBeard Brian Wilson]] (no, not [[Music/TheBeachBoys that]] Music/BrianWilson), the Giants eventually notched enough wins in September to qualify for the playoffs on the last game of the regular season. The postseason would be even more dramatic, as most of their games, in sport movie fashion, would go DownToTheLastPlay. To boot, almost
Changed line(s) 37 (click to see context) from:
* ''[[http://outcastsunited.com/ Outcasts United]]'' by Warren St. John is a real life example of this. It is the story of a bunch of refugees who ended up living in Clarkston, Georgia (a small suburb of UsefulNotes/{{Atlanta}}), which became a resettlement center for refugees from war zones in Liberia, Congo, Sudan, Iraq and Afghanistan. These kids eventually start a soccer team, the Fugees, with the help of Luma Mufleh, an American educated Jordanian woman. It the prejudice they endured and the money struggles they have, and the culture clashes (such as how in Georgia soccer is a sport associated with rich people).
to:
* ''[[http://outcastsunited.com/ Outcasts United]]'' by Warren St. John is a real life real-life example of this. It is the story of a bunch of refugees who ended up living in Clarkston, Georgia (a small suburb of UsefulNotes/{{Atlanta}}), which became a resettlement center for refugees from war zones in Liberia, Congo, Sudan, Iraq Iraq, and Afghanistan. These kids eventually start a soccer team, the Fugees, with the help of Luma Mufleh, an American educated Jordanian woman. It the prejudice they endured and the money struggles they have, and the culture clashes (such as how in Georgia soccer is a sport associated with rich people).
Changed line(s) 46 (click to see context) from:
* The British Army lives and dies by this trope. One of the first modern armies, the New Model Army was a complete subversion (English, but the framework for the British army was laid here), made up primarily of professional soldiers who had been fighting against the Royalists...until they were only able to fill about two thirds of places. After which, the Army lowered its standards. From then on, to about 1914, the Army was been considered the second service to the far more prestigious and skilled Navy (the "senior service"), taking on colossal numbers of thieves, rapists, murderers and arsonists, then moving on to those who have failed their [=GCSEs=]. This trope was so prevalent during the Napoleonic Era that the Duke of Wellington noted how wonderful it was to make so much of them. This applies less to other armies as they tended to still take Peasant Levies, meaning the men were required to serve whatever their profession, or have a very elite air and esprit de corps (the French, up until 1812).
to:
* The British Army lives and dies by this trope. One of the first modern armies, the New Model Army was a complete subversion (English, but the framework for the British army was laid here), made up primarily of professional soldiers who had been fighting against the Royalists...until they were only able to fill about two thirds two-thirds of places. After which, the Army lowered its standards. From then on, to about 1914, the Army was been considered the second service to the far more prestigious and skilled Navy (the "senior service"), taking on colossal numbers of thieves, rapists, murderers and arsonists, then moving on to those who have failed their [=GCSEs=]. This trope was so prevalent during the Napoleonic Era that the Duke of Wellington noted how wonderful it was to make so much of them. This applies less to other armies as they tended to still take Peasant Levies, meaning the men were required to serve whatever their profession, or have a very elite air and esprit de corps (the French, up until 1812).
Changed line(s) 49,53 (click to see context) from:
* For the effects Creator/GeorgeLucas wanted for ''Franchise/StarWars: Film/ANewHope'', supervisor John Dykstra assembled some college students, artists and engineers to create Creator/IndustrialLightAndMagic. In their large empty warehouse, they wound up wasting $1 million (lots of miniatures and technology were created, but the only scene they made that could be salvaged was the Tantive IV's escape pod being released, which even opened the ''Star Wars'' trailer) and [[http://books.google.com/books?id=wYEYF8JvNnoC&pg=PT104 had an unorthodox working environment]] that shocked Creator/TwentiethCenturyFox executives when they visited. Once Lucas returned from the [[TroubledProduction already-screwed enough shoot in England]], he put the motley crew of technicians under a tight leash to make sure the effects were made (a year's worth of work in six months)... but not before he was hospitalized in shock.
* The East African [[PrussiansInPickelhauben Schutztruppe]] of WWI was held together by the personality of its commander, Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck. Part African soldiers, part Arabic auxiliaries, part African civilian carriers and their families, part professional officers, part German civilian settlers, and part Naval survivors of the cruiser ''SMS Königsberg'', it was the last German force to surrender - [[RefugeInAudacity having invaded the Congo, Mozambique and Rhodesia first.]]
* The 2013 Boston Red Sox managed this despite being a major market team based on their total failure the year before. The consisted of a bunch of guys who had marginal success throughout their careers and David Ortiz. They were guided by the bombing of the Boston Marathon earlier in the year and also were unified in the fact that every member had a beard.
* American militia units, especially those that fight drug traffickers. Some are little more than a few friends with some Mosin rifles. Some are old men with hunting shotguns and a couple pocket pistols. What have these militias done? Well, in Mexico, succeeded in fighting the drug cartels with an efficacy the government has failed to achieve with billions of dollars and an entire army. There's a story about an American college kid who spends his vacations down in Mexico, dresses and talks and acts like a Russian soldier, and takes willing villagers with him into combat. They know him as El Mujik. Los Zetas sent a party out looking for him once, and they were swiftly ambushed and exterminated. His other proported claims to fame include supposedly having been a freelance mercenary because he was bored, knowing enough about firearms to donate and distribute working designs for improvised firearms, and [[CrazyAwesome having killed more enemies with his bayonet than by shooting!]] Not bad for a guy who never even pretended to have spent a single day in the military.
* Augusto C Sandino was a liberal general in Nicaragua, when a liberal-conservative civil war ended with the US Marines intervening on the side of the Conservatives. One liberal said "All my generals have laid down their arms - all except one". And that's the beginning of one of the most incredible stories in military history. Sandino borrowed money from a few local prostitutes, assembled the - youknowwhat - and went on to fight the US marines tooth and nail until finally - Sandino's men having conquered half the country - the Marines left. However, Sandino didn't see what was coming. When a peace dinner was held in his honor he was [[DownerEnding shot on the way home]] on the orders of the head of the national guard and soon to be dictator Anastasio Somoza. Oh and Sandino [[ShortLivedBigImpact died aged 38]] and was unanimously named a national hero by the Nicaraguan Congress in 2010, where a party named after him held a plurality. Sandino himself also qualifies, as he was born out of wedlock to an indigenous servant of his father, a wealthy landowner and had to leave the country in his twenties because he nearly killed the son of a prominent conservative who had insulted his mother. He spent his exile in Mexico, where he formed many of his political opinions.
* The East African [[PrussiansInPickelhauben Schutztruppe]] of WWI was held together by the personality of its commander, Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck. Part African soldiers, part Arabic auxiliaries, part African civilian carriers and their families, part professional officers, part German civilian settlers, and part Naval survivors of the cruiser ''SMS Königsberg'', it was the last German force to surrender - [[RefugeInAudacity having invaded the Congo, Mozambique and Rhodesia first.]]
* The 2013 Boston Red Sox managed this despite being a major market team based on their total failure the year before. The consisted of a bunch of guys who had marginal success throughout their careers and David Ortiz. They were guided by the bombing of the Boston Marathon earlier in the year and also were unified in the fact that every member had a beard.
* American militia units, especially those that fight drug traffickers. Some are little more than a few friends with some Mosin rifles. Some are old men with hunting shotguns and a couple pocket pistols. What have these militias done? Well, in Mexico, succeeded in fighting the drug cartels with an efficacy the government has failed to achieve with billions of dollars and an entire army. There's a story about an American college kid who spends his vacations down in Mexico, dresses and talks and acts like a Russian soldier, and takes willing villagers with him into combat. They know him as El Mujik. Los Zetas sent a party out looking for him once, and they were swiftly ambushed and exterminated. His other proported claims to fame include supposedly having been a freelance mercenary because he was bored, knowing enough about firearms to donate and distribute working designs for improvised firearms, and [[CrazyAwesome having killed more enemies with his bayonet than by shooting!]] Not bad for a guy who never even pretended to have spent a single day in the military.
* Augusto C Sandino was a liberal general in Nicaragua, when a liberal-conservative civil war ended with the US Marines intervening on the side of the Conservatives. One liberal said "All my generals have laid down their arms - all except one". And that's the beginning of one of the most incredible stories in military history. Sandino borrowed money from a few local prostitutes, assembled the - youknowwhat - and went on to fight the US marines tooth and nail until finally - Sandino's men having conquered half the country - the Marines left. However, Sandino didn't see what was coming. When a peace dinner was held in his honor he was [[DownerEnding shot on the way home]] on the orders of the head of the national guard and soon to be dictator Anastasio Somoza. Oh and Sandino [[ShortLivedBigImpact died aged 38]] and was unanimously named a national hero by the Nicaraguan Congress in 2010, where a party named after him held a plurality. Sandino himself also qualifies, as he was born out of wedlock to an indigenous servant of his father, a wealthy landowner and had to leave the country in his twenties because he nearly killed the son of a prominent conservative who had insulted his mother. He spent his exile in Mexico, where he formed many of his political opinions.
to:
* For the effects Creator/GeorgeLucas wanted for ''Franchise/StarWars: Film/ANewHope'', supervisor John Dykstra assembled some college students, artists artists, and engineers to create Creator/IndustrialLightAndMagic. In their large empty warehouse, they wound up wasting $1 million (lots of miniatures and technology were created, but the only scene they made that could be salvaged was the Tantive IV's escape pod being released, which even opened the ''Star Wars'' trailer) and [[http://books.google.com/books?id=wYEYF8JvNnoC&pg=PT104 had an unorthodox working environment]] that shocked Creator/TwentiethCenturyFox executives when they visited. Once Lucas returned from the [[TroubledProduction already-screwed enough shoot in England]], he put the motley crew of technicians under a tight leash to make sure the effects were made (a year's worth of work in six months)... but not before he was hospitalized in shock.
* The East African [[PrussiansInPickelhauben Schutztruppe]] of WWI was held together by the personality of its commander, Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck. Part African soldiers, part Arabic auxiliaries, part African civilian carriers and their families, part professional officers, part German civilian settlers, and part Naval survivors of the cruiser ''SMS Königsberg'', it was the last German force to surrender - [[RefugeInAudacity having invaded the Congo,Mozambique Mozambique, and Rhodesia first.]]
* The 2013 Boston Red Sox managed this despite being a major market team based on their total failure the year before.The They consisted of a bunch of guys who had marginal success throughout their careers and David Ortiz. They were guided by the bombing of the Boston Marathon earlier in the year and also were unified in the fact that every member had a beard.
* American militia units, especially those that fight drug traffickers. Some are little more than a few friends with some Mosin rifles. Some are old men with hunting shotguns and a couple pocket pistols. What have these militias done? Well, in Mexico, succeeded in fighting the drug cartels with an efficacy the government has failed to achieve with billions of dollars and an entire army. There's a story about an American college kid who spends his vacations down in Mexico, dresses and talks and acts like a Russian soldier, and takes willing villagers with him into combat. They know him as El Mujik. Los Zetas sent a party out looking for him once, and they were swiftly ambushed and exterminated. His otherproported purported claims to fame include supposedly having been a freelance mercenary because he was bored, knowing enough about firearms to donate and distribute working designs for improvised firearms, and [[CrazyAwesome having killed more enemies with his bayonet than by shooting!]] Not bad for a guy who never even pretended to have spent a single day in the military.
* Augusto C Sandino was a liberal general inNicaragua, Nicaragua when a liberal-conservative civil war ended with the US Marines intervening on the side of the Conservatives. One liberal said "All my generals have laid down their arms - all except one". And that's the beginning of one of the most incredible stories in military history. Sandino borrowed money from a few local prostitutes, assembled the - youknowwhat - and went on to fight the US marines tooth and nail until finally - Sandino's men having conquered half the country - the Marines left. However, Sandino didn't see what was coming. When a peace dinner was held in his honor he was [[DownerEnding shot on the way home]] on the orders of the head of the national guard and soon to be dictator Anastasio Somoza. Oh and Sandino [[ShortLivedBigImpact died aged 38]] and was unanimously named a national hero by the Nicaraguan Congress in 2010, where a party named after him held a plurality. Sandino himself also qualifies, as he was born out of wedlock to an indigenous servant of his father, a wealthy landowner and had to leave the country in his twenties because he nearly killed the son of a prominent conservative who had insulted his mother. He spent his exile in Mexico, where he formed many of his political opinions.
* The East African [[PrussiansInPickelhauben Schutztruppe]] of WWI was held together by the personality of its commander, Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck. Part African soldiers, part Arabic auxiliaries, part African civilian carriers and their families, part professional officers, part German civilian settlers, and part Naval survivors of the cruiser ''SMS Königsberg'', it was the last German force to surrender - [[RefugeInAudacity having invaded the Congo,
* The 2013 Boston Red Sox managed this despite being a major market team based on their total failure the year before.
* American militia units, especially those that fight drug traffickers. Some are little more than a few friends with some Mosin rifles. Some are old men with hunting shotguns and a couple pocket pistols. What have these militias done? Well, in Mexico, succeeded in fighting the drug cartels with an efficacy the government has failed to achieve with billions of dollars and an entire army. There's a story about an American college kid who spends his vacations down in Mexico, dresses and talks and acts like a Russian soldier, and takes willing villagers with him into combat. They know him as El Mujik. Los Zetas sent a party out looking for him once, and they were swiftly ambushed and exterminated. His other
* Augusto C Sandino was a liberal general in
Changed line(s) 55 (click to see context) from:
* The Battle of Castle Itter, dubbed the strangest battle of World War II. Five days after Hitler's suicide, a quite eclectic group formed in the castle. Facing off against elements of a Waffen-SS Division were 14 American soldiers, 10 anti-Nazi Wehrmacht soldiers and a defecting SS officer, high-ranking French prisoners (among them, tennis star Jean Borotra, former prime minister Édouard Daladier, Charles de Gaulle's elder sister Marie-Agnès Cailliau, former commander-in-chief Maxime Weygand, the ''other'' former prime minister Paul Reynaud, former commander-in-chief Maurice Gamelin,right-wing leader François de La Rocque and trade union leader Léon Jouhaux), Eastern European prisoners, and an M4 Sherman. Also as reinforcements, two German soldiers, a member of the Austrian Resistance, and finally the American 104th Infantry Division. Needless to say it really was quite strange.
to:
* The Battle of Castle Itter, dubbed the strangest battle of World War II. Five days after Hitler's suicide, a quite eclectic group formed in the castle. Facing off against elements of a Waffen-SS Division were 14 American soldiers, 10 anti-Nazi Wehrmacht soldiers and a defecting SS officer, high-ranking French prisoners (among them, tennis star Jean Borotra, former prime minister Édouard Daladier, Charles de Gaulle's elder sister Marie-Agnès Cailliau, former commander-in-chief Maxime Weygand, the ''other'' former prime minister Paul Reynaud, former commander-in-chief Maurice Gamelin,right-wing Gamelin, right-wing leader François de La Rocque and trade union leader Léon Jouhaux), Eastern European prisoners, and an M4 Sherman. Also as reinforcements, two German soldiers, a member of the Austrian Resistance, and finally the American 104th Infantry Division. Needless to say say, it really was quite strange.
Changed line(s) 57 (click to see context) from:
* The first real Cinderella run in the [[UsefulNotes/{{Basketball}} NCAA basketball tournament]] was by Utah in 1944, and they were a classic sports example. With UsefulNotes/WorldWarII raging, Utes coach Vadal Peterson faced several huge obstacles going into the season: a bunch of his players had been drafted, all the other teams in the conference had canceled their seasons, and the Army was using the Utes' home gym as a barracks. Peterson held open tryouts for the team and pulled together a team with four freshman starters, and also featuring two Japanese-American players, a huge novelty and also very socially significant during the war years. They ended up playing most of their games against local military teams (plus a couple of colleges from Idaho and Colorado), and bounced between the tiny university women's gym, a gym owned by [[UsefulNotes/{{Mormonism}} the LDS Church]] and a local high school gym for home games. Still, they only lost three games in the regular season and got an invitation to play in the NIT in New York, then considered the equal to the NCAA tournament. After losing to Kentucky in the first round, it appeared their season was over, and they decided to stay in New York a few more days to sightsee. But then they got word that the Arkansas team had gotten into a car accident on the way to Kansas City for the NCAA West regional, and the NCAA invited Utah to be a last-second replacement. They accepted the invite, won the regional, then returned to New York, where they defeated East regional champ Dartmouth in the national championship game, then turned around and defeated NIT champ St. John's in a benefit game for the Red Cross, sealing their unlikely championship.
to:
* The first real Cinderella run in the [[UsefulNotes/{{Basketball}} NCAA basketball tournament]] was by Utah in 1944, and they were a classic sports example. With UsefulNotes/WorldWarII raging, Utes coach Vadal Peterson faced several huge obstacles going into the season: a bunch of his players had been drafted, all the other teams in the conference had canceled their seasons, and the Army was using the Utes' home gym as a barracks. Peterson held open tryouts for the team and pulled together a team with four freshman starters, and also featuring two Japanese-American players, a huge novelty and also very socially significant during the war years. They ended up playing most of their games against local military teams (plus a couple of colleges from Idaho and Colorado), Colorado) and bounced between the tiny university women's gym, a gym owned by [[UsefulNotes/{{Mormonism}} the LDS Church]] and a local high school gym for home games. Still, they only lost three games in the regular season and got an invitation to play in the NIT in New York, then considered the equal to the NCAA tournament. After losing to Kentucky in the first round, it appeared their season was over, and they decided to stay in New York a few more days to sightsee. But then they got word that the Arkansas team had gotten into a car accident on the way to Kansas City for the NCAA West regional, and the NCAA invited Utah to be a last-second replacement. They accepted the invite, won the regional, then returned to New York, where they defeated East regional champ Dartmouth in the national championship game, then turned around and defeated NIT champ St. John's in a benefit game for the Red Cross, sealing their unlikely championship.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 56 (click to see context) from:
* In 1973, Bing Russell ([[Creator/KurtRussell Kurt's dad]]) brought a bunch of hopefuls, has-beens, and never-weres to Portland, Oregon, and called them the Mavericks. The [[UsefulNotes/MinorLeagueBaseball short-season Class A ball club]], under the first female general manager in professional baseball history, was independent but soon started beating farm teams. Badly. The Mavericks won their division three seasons in a row and had the best record in the league in 1977. Then narrowly lost the 1977 championship series to the Bellingham Mariners, Seattle's farm team. The majors took that as an affront, bought out the Mavericks over the winter, and put a Class AAA expansion farm team in Portland. Portland fans preferred the ragtag bunch of misfits; less than half as many fans came out for Beavers' home games. A documentary about the team, ''The Battered Bastards of Baseball'', debuted at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival and can be watched on Netflix.
to:
* In 1973, Bing Russell ([[Creator/KurtRussell Kurt's dad]]) brought a bunch of hopefuls, has-beens, and never-weres to Portland, Oregon, and called them the Mavericks. The [[UsefulNotes/MinorLeagueBaseball short-season Class A ball club]], under the first female general manager in professional baseball history, was independent but soon started beating farm teams. Badly. The Mavericks won their division three seasons in a row and had the best record in the league in 1977. Then narrowly lost the 1977 championship series to the Bellingham Mariners, Seattle's farm team. The majors took that as an affront, bought out the Mavericks over the winter, and put a Class AAA expansion farm team in Portland. Portland fans preferred the ragtag bunch of misfits; less than half as many fans came out for Beavers' home games. A documentary about the team, ''The Battered Bastards of Baseball'', debuted at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival and can be watched on Netflix.Netflix.
* The first real Cinderella run in the [[UsefulNotes/{{Basketball}} NCAA basketball tournament]] was by Utah in 1944, and they were a classic sports example. With UsefulNotes/WorldWarII raging, Utes coach Vadal Peterson faced several huge obstacles going into the season: a bunch of his players had been drafted, all the other teams in the conference had canceled their seasons, and the Army was using the Utes' home gym as a barracks. Peterson held open tryouts for the team and pulled together a team with four freshman starters, and also featuring two Japanese-American players, a huge novelty and also very socially significant during the war years. They ended up playing most of their games against local military teams (plus a couple of colleges from Idaho and Colorado), and bounced between the tiny university women's gym, a gym owned by [[UsefulNotes/{{Mormonism}} the LDS Church]] and a local high school gym for home games. Still, they only lost three games in the regular season and got an invitation to play in the NIT in New York, then considered the equal to the NCAA tournament. After losing to Kentucky in the first round, it appeared their season was over, and they decided to stay in New York a few more days to sightsee. But then they got word that the Arkansas team had gotten into a car accident on the way to Kansas City for the NCAA West regional, and the NCAA invited Utah to be a last-second replacement. They accepted the invite, won the regional, then returned to New York, where they defeated East regional champ Dartmouth in the national championship game, then turned around and defeated NIT champ St. John's in a benefit game for the Red Cross, sealing their unlikely championship.
----
* The first real Cinderella run in the [[UsefulNotes/{{Basketball}} NCAA basketball tournament]] was by Utah in 1944, and they were a classic sports example. With UsefulNotes/WorldWarII raging, Utes coach Vadal Peterson faced several huge obstacles going into the season: a bunch of his players had been drafted, all the other teams in the conference had canceled their seasons, and the Army was using the Utes' home gym as a barracks. Peterson held open tryouts for the team and pulled together a team with four freshman starters, and also featuring two Japanese-American players, a huge novelty and also very socially significant during the war years. They ended up playing most of their games against local military teams (plus a couple of colleges from Idaho and Colorado), and bounced between the tiny university women's gym, a gym owned by [[UsefulNotes/{{Mormonism}} the LDS Church]] and a local high school gym for home games. Still, they only lost three games in the regular season and got an invitation to play in the NIT in New York, then considered the equal to the NCAA tournament. After losing to Kentucky in the first round, it appeared their season was over, and they decided to stay in New York a few more days to sightsee. But then they got word that the Arkansas team had gotten into a car accident on the way to Kansas City for the NCAA West regional, and the NCAA invited Utah to be a last-second replacement. They accepted the invite, won the regional, then returned to New York, where they defeated East regional champ Dartmouth in the national championship game, then turned around and defeated NIT champ St. John's in a benefit game for the Red Cross, sealing their unlikely championship.
----
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 49 (click to see context) from:
* For the effects Creator/GeorgeLucas wanted for ''Franchise/StarWars: Film/ANewHope'', supervisor John Dykstra assembled some college students, artists and engineer to create Creator/IndustrialLightAndMagic. In their large empty warehouse, they wound up wasting $1 million (lots of miniatures and technology were created, but the only scene they made that could be salvaged was the Tantive IV's escape pod being released, which even opened the ''Star Wars'' trailer) and [[http://books.google.com/books?id=wYEYF8JvNnoC&pg=PT104 had an unorthodox working environment]] that shocked Creator/TwentiethCenturyFox executives when they visited. Once Lucas returned from the [[TroubledProduction already-screwed enough shoot in England]], he put the motley crew of technicians under a tight leash to make sure the effects were made... but not before he was hospitalized in shock.
to:
* For the effects Creator/GeorgeLucas wanted for ''Franchise/StarWars: Film/ANewHope'', supervisor John Dykstra assembled some college students, artists and engineer engineers to create Creator/IndustrialLightAndMagic. In their large empty warehouse, they wound up wasting $1 million (lots of miniatures and technology were created, but the only scene they made that could be salvaged was the Tantive IV's escape pod being released, which even opened the ''Star Wars'' trailer) and [[http://books.google.com/books?id=wYEYF8JvNnoC&pg=PT104 had an unorthodox working environment]] that shocked Creator/TwentiethCenturyFox executives when they visited. Once Lucas returned from the [[TroubledProduction already-screwed enough shoot in England]], he put the motley crew of technicians under a tight leash to make sure the effects were made...made (a year's worth of work in six months)... but not before he was hospitalized in shock.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 19 (click to see context) from:
* [[UsefulNotes/{{Jesus}} Rabbi Yeshua bar Yosef of Nazareth]] and his friends/followers definitely fit this trope. His disciples included a [[HotBlooded hot-headed]] redneck fisherman known for needing things [[CompletelyMissingThePoint explained to him]] multiple times, a pair of hot-headed redneck fisherman [[BashBrothers brothers]] known for getting into [[GoodOldFisticuffs fights]], a guy who admired his master in a [[AmbiguouslyGay different way]] than the others, a Rome-hating[[BombThrowingAnarchists Zealot]] and a [[CategoryTraitor Roman-employed]] tax collector, a guy best known for his [[SourSupporter doubt]], and a guy best known for [[DeceptiveDisciple selling his master out]]. Then there are the ''other'' people Jesus hung out with. His best friends/biggest supporters included (scandalously!) a [[ThePlague leper]] and an [[HookerWithAHeartOfGold ex-prostitute]]. Just this list demonstrates how radically un-judgemental the guy was.
to:
* [[UsefulNotes/{{Jesus}} Rabbi Yeshua bar Yosef of Nazareth]] and his friends/followers definitely fit this trope. His disciples included a [[HotBlooded hot-headed]] redneck fisherman known for needing things [[CompletelyMissingThePoint explained to him]] multiple times, a pair of hot-headed redneck fisherman [[BashBrothers brothers]] known for getting into [[GoodOldFisticuffs fights]], a guy who admired his master in a [[AmbiguouslyGay different way]] than the others, a Rome-hating[[BombThrowingAnarchists Rome-hating [[BombThrowingAnarchists Zealot]] and a [[CategoryTraitor Roman-employed]] tax collector, a guy best known for his [[SourSupporter doubt]], and a guy best known for [[DeceptiveDisciple selling his master out]]. Then there are the ''other'' people Jesus hung out with. His best friends/biggest supporters included (scandalously!) a [[ThePlague leper]] and an [[HookerWithAHeartOfGold ex-prostitute]]. Just this list demonstrates how radically un-judgemental the guy was.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 56 (click to see context) from:
* In 1973, Bing Russell ([[Creator/KurtRussell Kurt's dad]]) brought a bunch of hopefuls, has-beens, and never-weres to Portland, Oregon, and called them the Mavericks. The [[UsefulNotes/MinorLeagueBaseball short-season Class A ball club]], under the first female general manager in professional baseball history, was independent but soon started beating farm teams. Badly. The Mavericks won their division three seasons in a row and, in 1977, had the best record in the league. Then narrowly lost the championship series to the Bellingham Mariners, Seattle's farm team. The majors took that as an affront, bought out the Mavericks over the winter, and put a Class AAA expansion farm team in Portland. Portland fans preferred the ragtag bunch of misfits; less than half as many fans came out for Beavers' home games. A documentary about the team, ''The Battered Bastards of Baseball'', debuted at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival and can be watched on Netflix.
to:
* In 1973, Bing Russell ([[Creator/KurtRussell Kurt's dad]]) brought a bunch of hopefuls, has-beens, and never-weres to Portland, Oregon, and called them the Mavericks. The [[UsefulNotes/MinorLeagueBaseball short-season Class A ball club]], under the first female general manager in professional baseball history, was independent but soon started beating farm teams. Badly. The Mavericks won their division three seasons in a row and, in 1977, and had the best record in the league. league in 1977. Then narrowly lost the 1977 championship series to the Bellingham Mariners, Seattle's farm team. The majors took that as an affront, bought out the Mavericks over the winter, and put a Class AAA expansion farm team in Portland. Portland fans preferred the ragtag bunch of misfits; less than half as many fans came out for Beavers' home games. A documentary about the team, ''The Battered Bastards of Baseball'', debuted at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival and can be watched on Netflix.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 56 (click to see context) from:
* In 1973, Bing Russell ([[Creator/KurtRussell Kurt's dad]]) brought a bunch of hopefuls, has-beens, and never-weres to Portland, Oregon, and called them the Mavericks. The [[UsefulNotes/MinorLeagueBaseball short-season Class A ball club]], under the first female general manager in professional baseball history, was independent but soon started beating farm teams. Badly. The Mavericks won their division three seasons in a row and, in 1977, had the best record in the league. Then they beat the Bellingham Mariners, Seattle's farm team, in the championship series. The majors took that as an affront, bought out the Mavericks over the winter, and put an expansion farm team in Portland. Portland fans preferred the ragtag bunch of misfits; less than half as many fans came out for Beavers' home games. A documentary about the team, ''The Battered Bastards of Baseball'', debuted at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival and can be watched on Netflix.
to:
* In 1973, Bing Russell ([[Creator/KurtRussell Kurt's dad]]) brought a bunch of hopefuls, has-beens, and never-weres to Portland, Oregon, and called them the Mavericks. The [[UsefulNotes/MinorLeagueBaseball short-season Class A ball club]], under the first female general manager in professional baseball history, was independent but soon started beating farm teams. Badly. The Mavericks won their division three seasons in a row and, in 1977, had the best record in the league. Then they beat narrowly lost the championship series to the Bellingham Mariners, Seattle's farm team, in the championship series. team. The majors took that as an affront, bought out the Mavericks over the winter, and put an a Class AAA expansion farm team in Portland. Portland fans preferred the ragtag bunch of misfits; less than half as many fans came out for Beavers' home games. A documentary about the team, ''The Battered Bastards of Baseball'', debuted at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival and can be watched on Netflix.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
NRLEP
Changed line(s) 45 (click to see context) from:
* The army of UsefulNotes/{{Chad}} counts as this in the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyota_War Toyota War]] it fought against UsefulNotes/{{Libya}} in the late 1980s. Chad's army was a cobbled-together alliance of rebel and government forces who until very recently had been at each others' throats, was outnumbered and outgunned by their Libyan opponents, and was so underequipped that it had to use Toyota transport trucks to ferry its troops. Despite this, they still managed to win against the Libyans, in no small part because UsefulNotes/MuammarGaddafi was a cross between a ModernMajorGeneral and a GeneralFailure.
to:
* The army of UsefulNotes/{{Chad}} counts as this in the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyota_War Toyota War]] it fought against UsefulNotes/{{Libya}} in the late 1980s. Chad's army was a cobbled-together alliance of rebel and government forces who until very recently had been at each others' throats, was outnumbered and outgunned by their Libyan opponents, and was so underequipped that it had to use Toyota transport trucks to ferry its troops. Despite this, they still managed to win against the Libyans, in no small part because UsefulNotes/MuammarGaddafi was a cross between a ModernMajorGeneral and a GeneralFailure.Libyans.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 56 (click to see context) from:
* In 1973, Bing Russell ([[Creator/KurtRussell Kurt's dad]]) brought a bunch of hopefuls, has-beens, and never-weres to Portland, Oregon, and called them the Mavericks. The [[UsefulNotes/MinorLeagueBaseball short-season Class A ball club]], under the first female general manager in professional baseball history, was independent but soon started beating farm teams. Badly. The Mavericks won their division three seasons in a row and, in 1977, had the best record in the league. Then they beat the Bellingham Mariners, Seattle's farm team, in the championship series. The majors took that as an affront, bought out the Mavericks over the winter, and put an expansion team in Portland. Portland fans preferred the ragtag bunch of misfits; less than half as many fans came out for Beavers' home games. A documentary about the team, ''The Battered Bastards of Baseball'', debuted at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival and can be watched on Netflix.
to:
* In 1973, Bing Russell ([[Creator/KurtRussell Kurt's dad]]) brought a bunch of hopefuls, has-beens, and never-weres to Portland, Oregon, and called them the Mavericks. The [[UsefulNotes/MinorLeagueBaseball short-season Class A ball club]], under the first female general manager in professional baseball history, was independent but soon started beating farm teams. Badly. The Mavericks won their division three seasons in a row and, in 1977, had the best record in the league. Then they beat the Bellingham Mariners, Seattle's farm team, in the championship series. The majors took that as an affront, bought out the Mavericks over the winter, and put an expansion farm team in Portland. Portland fans preferred the ragtag bunch of misfits; less than half as many fans came out for Beavers' home games. A documentary about the team, ''The Battered Bastards of Baseball'', debuted at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival and can be watched on Netflix.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 56 (click to see context) from:
* In 1973, Bing Russell ([[Creator/KurtRussell Kurt's dad]]) brought a bunch of hopefuls, has-beens, and never-weres to Portland, Oregon, and called them the Mavericks. The [[UsefulNotes/MinorLeagueBaseball short-season Class A ball club]], under the first female general manager in professional baseball history, was independent but soon started beating farm teams. Badly. The Mavericks won their division three seasons in a row and, in 1977, had the best record in the league. Then they beat the Bellingham Mariners, Seattle's farm team, in the championship series. The majors took that as an affront, bought out the Mavericks over the winter, and put an expansion team in Portland. Portland fans preferred the ragtag bunch of misfits; less than half as many fans came out for Beavers' home games. A documentary about the team, ''The Battered Bastards of Baseball'', debuted at the 2014 [[Sandbox/Sundance Sundance Film Festival]] and can be watched on Netflix.
to:
* In 1973, Bing Russell ([[Creator/KurtRussell Kurt's dad]]) brought a bunch of hopefuls, has-beens, and never-weres to Portland, Oregon, and called them the Mavericks. The [[UsefulNotes/MinorLeagueBaseball short-season Class A ball club]], under the first female general manager in professional baseball history, was independent but soon started beating farm teams. Badly. The Mavericks won their division three seasons in a row and, in 1977, had the best record in the league. Then they beat the Bellingham Mariners, Seattle's farm team, in the championship series. The majors took that as an affront, bought out the Mavericks over the winter, and put an expansion team in Portland. Portland fans preferred the ragtag bunch of misfits; less than half as many fans came out for Beavers' home games. A documentary about the team, ''The Battered Bastards of Baseball'', debuted at the 2014 [[Sandbox/Sundance Sundance Film Festival]] Festival and can be watched on Netflix.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 56 (click to see context) from:
* In 1973, Bing Russell ([[Creator/KurtRussell Kurt's dad]]) brought a bunch of hopefuls, has-beens, and never-weres to Portland, Oregon, and called them the Mavericks. The [[UsefulNotes/MinorLeagueBaseball short-season Class A ball club]], under the first female general manager in professional baseball history, was independent but soon started beating farm teams. Badly. The Mavericks won their division three seasons in a row and, in 1977, had the best record in the league. Then they beat the Bellingham Mariners, Seattle's farm team, in the championship series. The majors took that as an affront, bought out the Mavericks over the winter, and put an expansion team in Portland. Portland fans preferred the ragtag bunch of misfits; less than half as many fans came out for Beavers' home games. A documentary about the team, [u]The Battered Bastards of Baseball[/u], debuted at the 2014 [[Sandbox/Sundance Sundance Film Festival]] and can be watched on Netflix.
to:
* In 1973, Bing Russell ([[Creator/KurtRussell Kurt's dad]]) brought a bunch of hopefuls, has-beens, and never-weres to Portland, Oregon, and called them the Mavericks. The [[UsefulNotes/MinorLeagueBaseball short-season Class A ball club]], under the first female general manager in professional baseball history, was independent but soon started beating farm teams. Badly. The Mavericks won their division three seasons in a row and, in 1977, had the best record in the league. Then they beat the Bellingham Mariners, Seattle's farm team, in the championship series. The majors took that as an affront, bought out the Mavericks over the winter, and put an expansion team in Portland. Portland fans preferred the ragtag bunch of misfits; less than half as many fans came out for Beavers' home games. A documentary about the team, [u]The ''The Battered Bastards of Baseball[/u], Baseball'', debuted at the 2014 [[Sandbox/Sundance Sundance Film Festival]] and can be watched on Netflix.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
Portland Mavericks
Changed line(s) 55 (click to see context) from:
* The Battle of Castle Itter, dubbed the strangest battle of World War II. Five days after Hitler's suicide, a quite eclectic group formed in the castle. Facing off against elements of a Waffen-SS Division were 14 American soldiers, 10 anti-Nazi Wehrmacht soldiers and a defecting SS officer, high-ranking French prisoners (among them, tennis star Jean Borotra, former prime minister Édouard Daladier, Charles de Gaulle's elder sister Marie-Agnès Cailliau, former commander-in-chief Maxime Weygand, the ''other'' former prime minister Paul Reynaud, former commander-in-chief Maurice Gamelin,right-wing leader François de La Rocque and trade union leader Léon Jouhaux), Eastern European prisoners, and an M4 Sherman. Also as reinforcements, two German soldiers, a member of the Austrian Resistance, and finally the American 104th Infantry Division. Needless to say it really was quite strange.
to:
* The Battle of Castle Itter, dubbed the strangest battle of World War II. Five days after Hitler's suicide, a quite eclectic group formed in the castle. Facing off against elements of a Waffen-SS Division were 14 American soldiers, 10 anti-Nazi Wehrmacht soldiers and a defecting SS officer, high-ranking French prisoners (among them, tennis star Jean Borotra, former prime minister Édouard Daladier, Charles de Gaulle's elder sister Marie-Agnès Cailliau, former commander-in-chief Maxime Weygand, the ''other'' former prime minister Paul Reynaud, former commander-in-chief Maurice Gamelin,right-wing leader François de La Rocque and trade union leader Léon Jouhaux), Eastern European prisoners, and an M4 Sherman. Also as reinforcements, two German soldiers, a member of the Austrian Resistance, and finally the American 104th Infantry Division. Needless to say it really was quite strange.strange.
* In 1973, Bing Russell ([[Creator/KurtRussell Kurt's dad]]) brought a bunch of hopefuls, has-beens, and never-weres to Portland, Oregon, and called them the Mavericks. The [[UsefulNotes/MinorLeagueBaseball short-season Class A ball club]], under the first female general manager in professional baseball history, was independent but soon started beating farm teams. Badly. The Mavericks won their division three seasons in a row and, in 1977, had the best record in the league. Then they beat the Bellingham Mariners, Seattle's farm team, in the championship series. The majors took that as an affront, bought out the Mavericks over the winter, and put an expansion team in Portland. Portland fans preferred the ragtag bunch of misfits; less than half as many fans came out for Beavers' home games. A documentary about the team, [u]The Battered Bastards of Baseball[/u], debuted at the 2014 [[Sandbox/Sundance Sundance Film Festival]] and can be watched on Netflix.
* In 1973, Bing Russell ([[Creator/KurtRussell Kurt's dad]]) brought a bunch of hopefuls, has-beens, and never-weres to Portland, Oregon, and called them the Mavericks. The [[UsefulNotes/MinorLeagueBaseball short-season Class A ball club]], under the first female general manager in professional baseball history, was independent but soon started beating farm teams. Badly. The Mavericks won their division three seasons in a row and, in 1977, had the best record in the league. Then they beat the Bellingham Mariners, Seattle's farm team, in the championship series. The majors took that as an affront, bought out the Mavericks over the winter, and put an expansion team in Portland. Portland fans preferred the ragtag bunch of misfits; less than half as many fans came out for Beavers' home games. A documentary about the team, [u]The Battered Bastards of Baseball[/u], debuted at the 2014 [[Sandbox/Sundance Sundance Film Festival]] and can be watched on Netflix.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
Changed line(s) 42 (click to see context) from:
* The 2011 Arizona Diamondbacks were branded this by the media. While the 2001 World Series team feature a group of proven veterans, the 2011 team featured only Justin Upton as the only star. But coming off a miserable 2010 they managed to grab two pitchers for players of lesser value. They also featured [[CrowningMomentofAwesome a pitcher that throws a baseball like a tomahawk]] and the player with the most tattoos in the majors. They managed to unseat the 2010 Giants as division champions, against them no less before losing in the first round of the playoffs.
to:
* The 2011 Arizona Diamondbacks were branded this by the media. While the 2001 World Series team feature a group of proven veterans, the 2011 team featured only Justin Upton as the only star. But coming off a miserable 2010 they managed to grab two pitchers for players of lesser value. They also featured [[CrowningMomentofAwesome a pitcher that throws a baseball like a tomahawk]] tomahawk and the player with the most tattoos in the majors. They managed to unseat the 2010 Giants as division champions, against them no less before losing in the first round of the playoffs.
Changed line(s) 54 (click to see context) from:
* These were the backbone of the Republican resistance to the military coup in the early months of the UsefulNotes/SpanishCivilWar. When Franco and his fellow pro-fascist insurgent generals kicked off their coup against the republic, about half of the Spanish army defected with them. Unfortunately, that half took almost all of Spain's best troops, mostly of the 'Army of Africa', colonial units stationed in Morocco with real combat experience, renowned for their brutality and bravery. The troops that stayed loyal to the republic were mostly 'Peninsular' soldiers, that is, soldiers stationed on the Spanish mainland most of whom had never seen combat. The Republican government disbanded the army in the immediate aftermath of the coup to deprive the insurgents of further support. This left the republic with only smatterings of largely inexperienced loyalist troops (mostly enlisted men, as the officer corps overwhelmingly sided with the rebels) and a collection of ragtag citizen militias organized by various left-wing parties and trade unions. Despite high morale, they were soundly trounced again and again by the professional soldiers of the Army of Africa, who quickly pushed them back to Madrid, which the rebel generals expected to take within weeks at most. However, when the pro-fascist troops were at the very gates of Madrid, literally occupying its outlying suburbs and parks, these untrained civilian militias suddenly [[LetsGetDangerous whipped themselves into shape]] and [[CrowningMomentofAwesome halted the rebel troops at the river Manzanares on the edge of Madrid, holding them back long enough for aid from the Soviet Union to arrive, and for a real army to be organized]]
to:
* These were the backbone of the Republican resistance to the military coup in the early months of the UsefulNotes/SpanishCivilWar. When Franco and his fellow pro-fascist insurgent generals kicked off their coup against the republic, about half of the Spanish army defected with them. Unfortunately, that half took almost all of Spain's best troops, mostly of the 'Army of Africa', colonial units stationed in Morocco with real combat experience, renowned for their brutality and bravery. The troops that stayed loyal to the republic were mostly 'Peninsular' soldiers, that is, soldiers stationed on the Spanish mainland most of whom had never seen combat. The Republican government disbanded the army in the immediate aftermath of the coup to deprive the insurgents of further support. This left the republic with only smatterings of largely inexperienced loyalist troops (mostly enlisted men, as the officer corps overwhelmingly sided with the rebels) and a collection of ragtag citizen militias organized by various left-wing parties and trade unions. Despite high morale, they were soundly trounced again and again by the professional soldiers of the Army of Africa, who quickly pushed them back to Madrid, which the rebel generals expected to take within weeks at most. However, when the pro-fascist troops were at the very gates of Madrid, literally occupying its outlying suburbs and parks, these untrained civilian militias suddenly [[LetsGetDangerous whipped themselves into shape]] and [[CrowningMomentofAwesome halted the rebel troops at the river Manzanares on the edge of Madrid, holding them back long enough for aid from the Soviet Union to arrive, and for a real army to be organized]]organized.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 55 (click to see context) from:
* The Battle of Castle Itter, dubbed the strangest battle of World War II. Five days after Hitler's suicide, a quite eclectic group formed in the castle. Facing off against elements of a Waffen-SS Division were 14 American soldiers, 10 anti-Nazi Wehrmacht soldiers and a defecting SS officer, high-ranking French prisoners (among them, tennis star Jean Borotra, former prime minister Édouard Daladier, Charles de Gaulle's elder sister Marie-Agnès Cailliau, former commander-in-chief Maxime Weygand, former prime minister Paul Reynaud, former commander-in-chief Maurice Gamelin,right-wing leader François de La Rocque and trade union leader Léon Jouhaux), Eastern European prisoners, and an M4 Sherman. Also as reinforcements, two German soldiers, a member of the Austrian Resistance, and finally the American 104th Infantry Division. Needless to say it really was quite strange.
to:
* The Battle of Castle Itter, dubbed the strangest battle of World War II. Five days after Hitler's suicide, a quite eclectic group formed in the castle. Facing off against elements of a Waffen-SS Division were 14 American soldiers, 10 anti-Nazi Wehrmacht soldiers and a defecting SS officer, high-ranking French prisoners (among them, tennis star Jean Borotra, former prime minister Édouard Daladier, Charles de Gaulle's elder sister Marie-Agnès Cailliau, former commander-in-chief Maxime Weygand, the ''other'' former prime minister Paul Reynaud, former commander-in-chief Maurice Gamelin,right-wing leader François de La Rocque and trade union leader Léon Jouhaux), Eastern European prisoners, and an M4 Sherman. Also as reinforcements, two German soldiers, a member of the Austrian Resistance, and finally the American 104th Infantry Division. Needless to say it really was quite strange.
