Utah Blaze: Four-star start but 1-star finish

There's nothing wrong with feel-good stories: the ones where the underdog fights back from insurmountable odds.

Everyone loves a "Hoosiers" ending.

Unfortunately for the Utah Blaze, there are also stories that don't quite go Hollywood. The ones where the team comes far, fights hard and never gives up — but loses anyway.

Despite returning from the dead and making Arena Football League history, the Blaze still didn't score the big story.

That would have required a win Saturday. Instead, they bowed out in the first round of the playoffs, losing 49-44 to the Colorado Crush.

Get Gene Hackman on the line.

Tell him the new script is still in production.

"When we reflect on this one — it's too bad," Blaze coach Danny White said. "We had the chance to do something that was really, really remarkable. And we kind of already did. But to let this opportunity go by, we'll never see this opportunity again."

So file the 2008 Blaze season in the "odd but true" category, rather than "amazing stories." Put them in there with the 2007 Colorado Rockies and the 1998 Utah men's basketball team.

The little teams that nearly did.

As White said, it was almost quite the tale.

But for every Amazin' Mets/Jets/Red Sox victory scenario, there's one like this: "Mistakes Cost Blaze in Playoffs."

It's just that the underdog endings are soooo satisfying.

In itself, the Blaze season was one for the books. They lost their first nine games, which is like starting a 100-meter dash a couple of seconds late. More than halfway through the season they had nothing to show except blushes. But instead of checking out, the Blaze checked their guts.

They went 6-1 the rest of the way to make the playoffs — the first AFL team to do so after losing nine straight.

"Overall, because of this (loss) tonight, it was a disappointing year," White said. "I mean, 6-10, 6-11 is not acceptable at all. Not even close to being acceptable. Six-and-one in the second half of the year, that's what we expected all year. So the season as a whole was a disappointment. No question at all."