SB Nation'sGIF Tournament V

Super Finals

(4) BUTTGOAL

(1) The Raptor

×

(4) BUTTGOAL

BUTTGOAL stands as the grand champion of GIF TOURNAMENT V. It now has the opportunity to battle THE RAPTOR in the special bonus round. If it wins, it will be recognized as the greatest animated sports GIF of all time.

(1) The Raptor

Since the origin of SB Nation's GIF TOURNAMENT, THE RAPTOR has stood as the greatest animated sports GIF of all time, having won the first GIF tourney over MORTIFIED MICHIGAN PUNTER. In every GIF tournament since, he has awaited the winner at the very end of the bracket, and devoured each of them in the polling: first BUCK SHOWALTER, then TIM LINCECUM, then METS FAN.

THE RAPTOR DEMANDS SACRIFICE ONCE AGAIN.

Buttgoalvsraptor_medium

VOTE!!!

Finals

(4) WASHINGTON STATE FAN

(1) DAMN IT, ASTROS, PART 6

(3) BUTTGOAL

Winner: Buttgoal
×

(4) WASHINGTON STATE FAN

Via CougCenter, our Washington State blog.

Washington State Fan. Popcorn Man. Time-Travelin' Asics Dad. This GIF has many names, and he has emerged as a cult hero. I consider him to be the spiritual successor to TIM LINCECUM, the grand champion of GIF TOURNAMENT III. Like Lincecum, Popcorn Man just sits there tossing ballpark foodstuffs in the general direction of his face, without regard for anything else around him.

Unlike Lincecum, he is all by himself, unconcerned with amusing anyone. All alone, under the rain, in a sea of seats, an avalanche of popcorn rolling down his chest, hands loosely gripping pieces of garbage. All captured through the shaky lense of a camera far away, on the other end of the stadium, pointed there by someone whose eye has caught something special.

(1) DAMN IT, ASTROS, PART 6

DAMN IT, ASTROS, PART 6. The sixth of seven offspring of an abysmal, rudderless baseball franchise. The love-child of a pitifully small payroll and a far-too-long schedule. In this incarnation, Jonathan Villar bears the torch lit by DAMN IT, ASTROS, PART 1PART 2PART 3PART 4PART 5, and PART 7.

He is also tournament's last remaining representative of baseball, the world's most GIF-able sport. Let us take note that at this stage of the tournament, there are more butt GIFs than baseball GIFs.

(3) BUTTGOAL

Who now shall bear the mantle of Butt-GIF Prime? The legendary BUTTFUMBLE lost tragically early in GIF TOURNAMENT III, and two spiritual brothers, ASTROS BUTTSLIDE and BUTTGOAL, represent two-thirds of the championship round. This GIF offers more in the way of tragedy: this occurred in overtime, and this goal cost his team a win.

It is quiet. Unlike previous GIF TOURNAMENT champion, there is no pop, no pratfall. There is only a portrait of a sad man and his too-baggy shirt.

VS

MYSTERY BONUS CHALLENGER

East
Round 1

(1) roll tide

(16) arizona state face kick

Winner: (16) ARIZONA STATE FACE KICK
×

(1) roll tide

Won Week 73 of TWIG with 963 votes.

GIFs from the stands are special, because there is a wealth of tiny stories being told: the bro in front wearing the prescient "POUR IT ON" shirt who throws up his arms, relieved that he left his "DROP AN ANVIL ON ME PLEASE" shirt at home. The collar-tugging of the guy in the white shirt. The woman, whose fury transcends the constrictive numbers and letters of the seating chart. The target of her rage, almost entirely unseen. And the camera operator, who documents this spectacle with the even-handed pan of a bird watcher. As an Alabama fan might say, "go Alabama."

(16) arizona state face kick

Finished second in Week 69 of TWIG with 331 votes.

Young man, if an old man has the high ground, do not challenge him. Old-man strength is a strength you cannot fathom. He has raccoon traps for joints, and his muscles are ripe from years of hauling sheetrock, wrestling stubborn oil filters off their engines with band wrenches, and moving refrigerators from apartment to apartment of their layabout children.

You woke up, commented "needs more cowbell" on the Anchorman 2 trailer, took three shots of Fireball, and went to the stadium, and now you want to talk bunk to a man with terrain advantage. Was it all you hoped it would be?

(8) jayson werth

(9) gerald henderson

Winner: (9) GERALD HENDERSON
×

(8) jayson werth

Via MLB.com. Special nomination. Has not previously appeared in TWIG, but was nominated in the comments of Week 58 by valued Internet subscriber Outshined_One.

It's the fifth inning of an evening game in late August. Neither team is really in the playoff hunt. This is absolutely the best possible time for Carlos Villanueva to deploy an Eephus pitch. True story: after the game, Jayson Werth said he Googled "existential crisis."

(9) gerald henderson

Special nomination. Has not previously appeared in TWIG, but was nominated in the comments of Week 72 by our own James Dator.

Henderson was profusely apologetic after the game, and the lady was fine afterward. So instead of feeling really bad for watching this a dozen times in a row and making a noise that sounds kind of like, "BLAAPPP," I only feel moderately bad.

(5) troy polamalu

(12) just do it

Winner: (12) JUST DO IT
×

(5) troy polamalu

Won Week 60 of TWIG with 628 votes.

This is what happens when your snap count is, "gonna snap in six seconds! Gonna snap in four seconds! Gonna snap in two seconds! Snapping right now! Snapped the ball one second ag---OOF."

It looks so unnatural that it feels like something illegal happened here, and upon first glance, I thought a penalty flag was thrown. Nope, just Troy Polamalu.

(12) just do it

Won Week 50 of TWIG with 499 votes.

"We're now taking you live to a brick staircase, where a wayward youth is expected to address "beep beep boop" allegations.

"Sir, please ...

"Sir, please get out of the shot. The young man is trying to tell us about the beep-beep."

(4) washington state fan

(13) yunel escobar

Winner: (4) WASHINGTON STATE FAN
×

(4) washington state fan

Via CougCenter, our Washington State blog. Won Week 63 of TWIG with 683 votes.

A man, in the rain, in a sea of empty seats. The popcorn pouring of that The Weekend at Bernie's-lookin' face. The hands full of trash. Those Asics, which were probably bought in 1996. This is the tranquility that Siddhartha spent an entire book trying to find.

(13) yunel escobar

Won Week 53 of TWIG with 463 votes.

Here we see middle infielders throwing with their gloves and catching with their bare hands. Middle infield is probably the strangest place in the ballpark, save for the place where the people are like, "you can only walk in here if you give me money," and if you try to walk in anyway, they stop you.

Round 1

(3) adam wainwright yadier molina

(14) andrea bargnani

Winner: (3) ADAM WAINWRIGHT / YADIER MOLINA
×

(3) adam wainwright yadier molina

Won Week 65 of TWIG with 755 votes.

BuzzFeed Sports GIF'd the moment. Fox broadcasted it. Adam Wainwright and Yadier Molina starred in it. Alexander Cartwright set the constraints in which it lives. Some chucklehead hit the baseball. But who made this? Nobody, I reckon. Art does not necessarily require an artist.

(14) andrea bargnani

Finished second in Week 67 of TWIG with 400 votes.

Andrea Bargnani, No. 77, stars in, "Basketball Video Game Played By Your Grandmother." She sets the controller on the coffee table, hunting and pecking at buttons with her index finger. Jump! Goodness, you did a Mario!

(6) alonzo russell

(11) russell westbrook

Winner: (11) RUSSELL WESTBROOK
×

(6) alonzo russell

Won Week 62 of TWIG with 557 votes.

Central Michigan really did all it good to keep Toledo's Alonzo Russell from hauling in this catch. The guy's all over him, and practically ripping his arm off. And as you can see, CMU had even begun construction on a giant football-playing man. They only had time to finish the helmet. They did finish building him eventually, but upon awakening, he decided he didn't want to live a life of football. He practices law in Flint these days, but he's never won a case. He is too large to fit inside government buildings.

(11) russell westbrook

Via @JDonSports. Special nomination. Has not previously appeared in TWIG.

Westbrook had maintained a back-and-forth with Sixers fans all game, and the yield is one of the most useful GIFs of this entire tournament. I recommend you bookmark this whenever you want to gloat on the Internet, or in response to anyone who tells you that pancakes are better than waffles. They are not.

(7) pat mcafee pt 2

(10) teneal goyco hits jason naugler

Winner: (10) TENEAL GOYCO HITS JASON NAUGLER
×

(7) pat mcafee pt 2

Won Week 66 of TWIG with 523 votes.

Scramble-punts are the best. Both teams are in agreement over which team will get the ball, but the negotiations over the specifics can prove chaotic. Punters have made their mark in previous GIF tournaments, but Pat McAfee may be the only punter to get here for doing something cool.

Also, thanks to the play dragging on a few extra seconds, we were very nearly treated to the rare spectacle of a guy catching a solid punt from his own punter. Idea: the NFL should have its own D-league full of practice squad-caliber guys, and it should be used as a sandbox for rulebook experiments. In particular, they should make it legal to pass via punting. Imagine a punted Hail Mary, 40 yards from the end zone, and tell me that the game resting upon seven seconds of hang time wouldn't be the coolest thing ever.

(10) teneal goyco hits jason naugler

Via @bubbaprog. Special nomination. Has not previously appeared in TWIG.

I gave you the names of these two men, because they're the authors of this grand moment, and it's only right to do so. Now that I have done so, I would simply like to show you this and get out of the way.

(2) michelle obama

(15) damn it astros pt 7

Winner: (2) MICHELLE OBAMA
×

(2) michelle obama

Won Week 75 of TWIG with 835 votes.

How does Michelle Obama have time to slam dunk a basketball when there are government problems, money debt, the environment, laws and whatnot, and all of the government problems? She's the President. (I accidentally typed "government problems" twice, but I don't know how to make the typer go backwards. I will need to ask my grandson for help. He is a wonderful grandson. His name is Grandfather the Third.)

(15) damn it astros pt 7

Finished second in Week 57 of TWIG with 373 votes.

The Houston Astros have lost 324 games over the last three seasons. They are the first team to do so over a three-year stretch in half a century. Consider that the Houston Texans, over their 12-year existence, have only lost about a third as many games, and you get a rather profound idea of how cruel baseball really is. Oh, you're 22-40 and have virtually zero chance of making the playoffs? Cool. PLAY ONE HUNDRED MORE GAMES.

Round 2

(16) arizona state face kick

(9) gerald henderson

Winner: (16) ARIZONA STATE FACE KICK
×

(16) arizona state face kick

Finished second in Week 69 of TWIG with 331 votes.

Young man, if an old man has the high ground, do not challenge him. Old-man strength is a strength you cannot fathom. He has raccoon traps for joints, and his muscles are ripe from years of hauling sheetrock, wrestling stubborn oil filters off their engines with band wrenches, and moving refrigerators from apartment to apartment of their layabout children.

You woke up, commented "needs more cowbell" on the Anchorman 2 trailer, took three shots of Fireball, and went to the stadium, and now you want to talk bunk to a man with terrain advantage. Was it all you hoped it would be?

(9) gerald henderson

Special nomination. Has not previously appeared in TWIG, but was nominated in the comments of Week 72 by our own James Dator.

Henderson was profusely apologetic after the game, and the lady was fine afterward. So instead of feeling really bad for watching this a dozen times in a row and making a noise that sounds kind of like, "BLAAPPP," I only feel moderately bad.

(12) just do it

(4) washington state fan

Winner: (4) WASHINGTON STATE FAN
×

(12) just do it

Won Week 50 of TWIG with 499 votes.

"We're now taking you live to a brick staircase, where a wayward youth is expected to address "beep beep boop" allegations.

"Sir, please ...

"Sir, please get out of the shot. The young man is trying to tell us about the beep-beep."

(4) washington state fan

Via CougCenter, our Washington State blog. Won Week 63 of TWIG with 683 votes.

A man, in the rain, in a sea of empty seats. The popcorn pouring of that The Weekend at Bernie's-lookin' face. The hands full of trash. Those Asics, which were probably bought in 1996. This is the tranquility that Siddhartha spent an entire book trying to find.

Round 2

(3) adam wainwright yadier molina

(11) russell westbrook

Winner: (3) ADAM WAINWRIGHT / YADIER MOLINA
×

(3) adam wainwright yadier molina

Won Week 65 of TWIG with 755 votes.

BuzzFeed Sports GIF'd the moment. Fox broadcasted it. Adam Wainwright and Yadier Molina starred in it. Alexander Cartwright set the constraints in which it lives. Some chucklehead hit the baseball. But who made this? Nobody, I reckon. Art does not necessarily require an artist.

(11) russell westbrook

Via @JDonSports. Special nomination. Has not previously appeared in TWIG.

Westbrook had maintained a back-and-forth with Sixers fans all game, and the yield is one of the most useful GIFs of this entire tournament. I recommend you bookmark this whenever you want to gloat on the Internet, or in response to anyone who tells you that pancakes are better than waffles. They are not.

(10) teneal goyco hits jason naugler

(2) michelle obama

Winner: (2) MICHELLE OBAMA
×

(10) teneal goyco hits jason naugler

Via @bubbaprog. Special nomination. Has not previously appeared in TWIG.

I gave you the names of these two men, because they're the authors of this grand moment, and it's only right to do so. Now that I have done so, I would simply like to show you this and get out of the way.

(2) michelle obama

Won Week 75 of TWIG with 835 votes.

How does Michelle Obama have time to slam dunk a basketball when there are government problems, money debt, the environment, laws and whatnot, and all of the government problems? She's the President. (I accidentally typed "government problems" twice, but I don't know how to make the typer go backwards. I will need to ask my grandson for help. He is a wonderful grandson. His name is Grandfather the Third.)

Regional Semifinal

(16) arizona state face kick

(4) washington state fan

Winner: (4) WASHINGTON STATE FAN
×

(16) arizona state face kick

Finished second in Week 69 of TWIG with 331 votes.

Young man, if an old man has the high ground, do not challenge him. Old-man strength is a strength you cannot fathom. He has raccoon traps for joints, and his muscles are ripe from years of hauling sheetrock, wrestling stubborn oil filters off their engines with band wrenches, and moving refrigerators from apartment to apartment of their layabout children.

You woke up, commented "needs more cowbell" on the Anchorman 2 trailer, took three shots of Fireball, and went to the stadium, and now you want to talk bunk to a man with terrain advantage. Was it all you hoped it would be?

(4) washington state fan

Via CougCenter, our Washington State blog. Won Week 63 of TWIG with 683 votes.

A man, in the rain, in a sea of empty seats. The popcorn pouring of that The Weekend at Bernie's-lookin' face. The hands full of trash. Those Asics, which were probably bought in 1996. This is the tranquility that Siddhartha spent an entire book trying to find.

Regional Semifinal

(3) adam wainwright yadier molina

(2) michelle obama

Winner: (3) ADAM WAINWRIGHT / YADIER MOLINA
×

(3) adam wainwright yadier molina

Won Week 65 of TWIG with 755 votes.

BuzzFeed Sports GIF'd the moment. Fox broadcasted it. Adam Wainwright and Yadier Molina starred in it. Alexander Cartwright set the constraints in which it lives. Some chucklehead hit the baseball. But who made this? Nobody, I reckon. Art does not necessarily require an artist.

(2) michelle obama

Won Week 75 of TWIG with 835 votes.

How does Michelle Obama have time to slam dunk a basketball when there are government problems, money debt, the environment, laws and whatnot, and all of the government problems? She's the President. (I accidentally typed "government problems" twice, but I don't know how to make the typer go backwards. I will need to ask my grandson for help. He is a wonderful grandson. His name is Grandfather the Third.)

Regional Championship

(4) washington state fan

(3) adam wainwright yadier molina

Winner: (4) WASHINGTON STATE FAN
×

(4) washington state fan

Via CougCenter, our Washington State blog. Won Week 63 of TWIG with 683 votes.

A man, in the rain, in a sea of empty seats. The popcorn pouring of that The Weekend at Bernie's-lookin' face. The hands full of trash. Those Asics, which were probably bought in 1996. This is the tranquility that Siddhartha spent an entire book trying to find.

(3) adam wainwright yadier molina

Won Week 65 of TWIG with 755 votes.

BuzzFeed Sports GIF'd the moment. Fox broadcasted it. Adam Wainwright and Yadier Molina starred in it. Alexander Cartwright set the constraints in which it lives. Some chucklehead hit the baseball. But who made this? Nobody, I reckon. Art does not necessarily require an artist.

Mid-West
Round 1

(1) DAMN IT, ASTROS, PART 6

(16) MICHAEL SAUNDERS

Winner: (1) DAMN IT, ASTROS, PT 6
×

(1) DAMN IT, ASTROS, PART 6

Won Week 61 of TWIG with 1,496 votes.

In the space between the last GIF Tournament and this one, the Astros, rather than retreading their prior works, have been exploring new and inventive ways to fail. Diving into somebody's butt is a pretty solid effort. This is rookie Jonathan Villar, who posted a Wins Above Replacement value of exactly zero. In order to qualify as starter-caliber, a player needs to be at 2.0 or better. Of the 50 guys who suited up for the Astros last season, they had four such players.

More like Butt-tros, is what it's more like.

(16) MICHAEL SAUNDERS

Finished second in Week 55 of TWIG with 348 votes.

He's behaving like some sort of crab or insect here. Maybe a hermit crab without a shell, or an ant struggling to lug a lump of sugar back to the nest, or a high-strikeout outfielder who doesn't hit that many home runs.

(8) FAN HIT IN DONG

(9) SHIVA KESHAVAN

Winner: (9) SHIVA KESHAVAN
×

(8) FAN HIT IN DONG

Via @corkgaines. Special nomination. Has not previously appeared in TWIG, but was nominated in the comments of Week 60 by valued Internet subscriber EightyRaw.

The camera didn't really zoom in, so we don't get much in the way of facial reactions, but we do have the guy to the right in the orange Marlins jersey who casually points out what has happened. "He got hit inna dong, y'all. Dongshot right there."

(9) SHIVA KESHAVAN

Won Week 76 of TWIG with 590 votes.

He ghost-rode his sled.

(5) BRANDON FIELDS

(12) WALL KID

Winner: (5) BRANDON FIELDS
×

(5) BRANDON FIELDS

Won Week 71 of TWIG with 631 votes.

As I wrote when Mr. Fields first appeared in This Week In GIFs, it looks like he's cradling a little imaginary failure-baby. This GIF is perhaps not quite as great as the legendary MORTIFIED MICHIGAN PUNTER, but it's cut from the same cloth. It's probably not his fault, since he's just receiving a snap he's not ready for, but it's just thoroughly rewarding to see a hyper-specialized player fail so miserably at the one thing he's asked to do.

(12) WALL KID

Finished second in Week 64 of TWIG with 505 votes.

Congratulations, NASCAR! You're represented in the GIF Tournament! Bad news, NASCAR. You are represented by some kid walking into the side of a building.

It's kind of unforgivable, too. All he had to do to dodge the wall was turn left. I don't know how a NASCAR fan can foul that up.

(4) PANAMA KID

(13) JOHNNY MANZIEL

Winner: (4) PANAMA KID
×

(4) PANAMA KID

Won Week 57 of TWIG with 684 votes.

Several of the greatest sports GIFs have little Easter eggs that are only apparent after a few viewings. Keep your eye on the folks in the upper right corner. Once the kid finally puts an end to his implausibly-long pratfall, they break into applause.

(13) JOHNNY MANZIEL

Finished second in Week 61 of THIS WEEK IN GIFs with 482 votes.

Johnny threw about 32 yards upfield for about a 12-yard gain. He is the sort of player who can produce this sort of scorekeeping anomaly. This throw was a pretty bad idea, since he's basically playing a game of 500 with a dozen guys, only half of whom are on his team. The throw itself is weird; the ball spirals at a sliced angle, and it almost looks like someone's dragging the ball across the screen like a mouse cursor.

I've said before that of the major sports, football is the least GIF-able. Guys like Johnny Manziel may be able to change that.

Round 1

(3) MARVEY'O OTEY

(14) TEDDY BRIDGEWATER

Winner: (3) MARVEY'O OTEY
×

(3) MARVEY'O OTEY

p>Won Week 70 of TWIG with 765 votes.

How Otey, a high schooler, threw the ball that far behind his back is kind of a wonder. That it actually went in cannot be claimed as a signifier of his talent. It's just a freak happening, in which he played a part.

The best thing is that he wasn't even in the room when he scored. It's like the Basketball Judge-Gods cleared the court to deliberate, and ruled in his favor.

(14) TEDDY BRIDGEWATER

Won Week 69 of TWIG with 418 votes.

Teddy's throw will certainly draw comparisons to Manziel's throw, which also made it into this tournament. Whichever you prefer is up to you, but I will certainly argue that Teddy's was far more impressive from an athletic standpoint. While Manziel eluded an army to throw an ill-advised Hail Mary, Bridgewater eluded an army and corked an absolutely gorgeous throw. It was a perfect strike, right to the corner of the end zone, where only his man could get it. It's one of the most magnificent throws I've seen at any level of football.

(6) GO HUSKIES

(11) AHMAD BROOKS

Winner: (6) GO HUSKIES
×

(6) GO HUSKIES

Via @Guyism. Won Week 67 of TWIG with 571 votes.

Look, this is y'alls' tournament. I made a few executive calls in terms of including GIFs I'd missed the first time around, but these entries were determined by you, the THIS WEEK IN GIFs voters. One week, you decided to vote for a dog doing the "paw" trick that 50 percent of all dogs know how to do. This GIF serves as a relic of our voting process, to which I can point as evidence that this is your tournament. It serves no other purpose, and should lose immediately.

(11) AHMAD BROOKS

Won Week 74 of TWIG with 526 votes.

In the East Region, we saw the Troy Polamalu GIF. This is basically the same thing, only a second too early. I can confirm to you that Cam Newton was not even touched, which only makes his theatrics more delightful.

You may find fault here, but what you fail to realize is that it is important to play defense. That is what Ahmad Brooks was trying to do.

(7) TIM LINCECUM

(10) LEBRON JAMES

Winner: (7) TIM LINCECUM
×

(7) TIM LINCECUM

Via MLB.com. Special nomination. Has not previously appeared in TWIG, but was nominated in the comments of Week 52 by valued Internet subscriber AztecsKillingHim.

It isn't terribly uncommon for a catcher or plate umpire to suffer a baseball to the ding-dong. The relationship of mutual respect between the catcher and ump is well-documented: if a catcher takes some cowhide to the jimmies, the ump will dust off the plate and buy him some time, and if the ump goes down, the catcher will jog out to the mound and talk about nothing.

The pitcher's role in this scenario is quite different. He stands on top of a hill that was made especially for him and goes like, "daaaaaaaaaamn."

(10) LEBRON JAMES

Special nomination. Has not previously appeared in TWIG.

LeBron might be the best tall passer I've ever seen. At best, he catches a very brief glimpse of where Shane Battier probably is, and he already has the whereabouts of all five of his opponents internally logged. The pass is just a little high for Battier to be able to catch and shoot, but getting that degree of velocity and accuracy on a pass that has to go around his defender is sort of a wonder.

I like Derek Fisher in the paint there, too. He has all the purpose and direction of a kid at the airport who's flying by himself for the first time. He goes to check in his bag and just starts taking off his shoes and belt and shit.

(2) ARTHUR JONES

(15) GO BENGALS

Winner: (2) ARTHUR JONES
×

(2) ARTHUR JONES

Via For The Win. Won Week 54 of TWIG with 864 votes.

Sports nutritionists recommend that while practicing on a July afternoon for hours and hours in football equipment, you should make sure to eat lots and lots of ice cream. That way, your body will detoxify itself of all vitamins, fluids, and electrolytes, leaving only a skeletal frame of locked joints and pores that leak curdled dairy product. No one will want to be around you and you will not be able to play football anymore.

(15) GO BENGALS

Finished second in Week 70 of TWIG with 392 votes.

LaVon Brazill looks like a character in one of those shopping-spree montages in which he tries out a bunch of different clothes in the department store. It doesn't really work, because he's wearing the same thing every time: a Bengals defender who doesn't understand what tackling is like.

The half-assing here is almost bewildering to see at this echelon of the sport, but No. 23, Terrence Newman, stands out to me in particular. What is he doing? Is he giving him dap?

Round 2

(1) DAMN IT, ASTROS, PART 6

(9) SHIVA KESHAVAN

Winner: (1) DAMN IT, ASTROS, PT 6
×

(1) DAMN IT, ASTROS, PART 6

Won Week 61 of TWIG with 1,496 votes.

In the space between the last GIF Tournament and this one, the Astros, rather than retreading their prior works, have been exploring new and inventive ways to fail. Diving into somebody's butt is a pretty solid effort. This is rookie Jonathan Villar, who posted a Wins Above Replacement value of exactly zero. In order to qualify as starter-caliber, a player needs to be at 2.0 or better. Of the 50 guys who suited up for the Astros last season, they had four such players.

More like Butt-tros, is what it's more like.

(9) SHIVA KESHAVAN

Won Week 76 of TWIG with 590 votes.

He ghost-rode his sled.

(5) BRANDON FIELDS

(4) PANAMA KID

Winner: (5) BRANDON FIELDS
×

(5) BRANDON FIELDS

Won Week 71 of TWIG with 631 votes.

As I wrote when Mr. Fields first appeared in This Week In GIFs, it looks like he's cradling a little imaginary failure-baby. This GIF is perhaps not quite as great as the legendary MORTIFIED MICHIGAN PUNTER, but it's cut from the same cloth. It's probably not his fault, since he's just receiving a snap he's not ready for, but it's just thoroughly rewarding to see a hyper-specialized player fail so miserably at the one thing he's asked to do.

(4) PANAMA KID

Won Week 57 of TWIG with 684 votes.

Several of the greatest sports GIFs have little Easter eggs that are only apparent after a few viewings. Keep your eye on the folks in the upper right corner. Once the kid finally puts an end to his implausibly-long pratfall, they break into applause.

Round 2

(3) MARVEY'O OTEY

(11) GO HUSKIES

Winner: (3) MARVEY'O OTEY
×

(3) MARVEY'O OTEY

p>Won Week 70 of TWIG with 765 votes.

How Otey, a high schooler, threw the ball that far behind his back is kind of a wonder. That it actually went in cannot be claimed as a signifier of his talent. It's just a freak happening, in which he played a part.

The best thing is that he wasn't even in the room when he scored. It's like the Basketball Judge-Gods cleared the court to deliberate, and ruled in his favor.

(11) GO HUSKIES

Via @Guyism. Won Week 67 of TWIG with 571 votes.

Look, this is y'alls' tournament. I made a few executive calls in terms of including GIFs I'd missed the first time around, but these entries were determined by you, the THIS WEEK IN GIFs voters. One week, you decided to vote for a dog doing the "paw" trick that 50 percent of all dogs know how to do. This GIF serves as a relic of our voting process, to which I can point as evidence that this is your tournament. It serves no other purpose, and should lose immediately.

(7) TIM LINCECUM

(2) ARTHUR JONES

Winner: (2) ARTHUR JONES
×

(7) TIM LINCECUM

Via MLB.com. Special nomination. Has not previously appeared in TWIG, but was nominated in the comments of Week 52 by valued Internet subscriber AztecsKillingHim.

It isn't terribly uncommon for a catcher or plate umpire to suffer a baseball to the ding-dong. The relationship of mutual respect between the catcher and ump is well-documented: if a catcher takes some cowhide to the jimmies, the ump will dust off the plate and buy him some time, and if the ump goes down, the catcher will jog out to the mound and talk about nothing.

The pitcher's role in this scenario is quite different. He stands on top of a hill that was made especially for him and goes like, "daaaaaaaaaamn."

(2) ARTHUR JONES

Via For The Win. Won Week 54 of TWIG with 864 votes.

Sports nutritionists recommend that while practicing on a July afternoon for hours and hours in football equipment, you should make sure to eat lots and lots of ice cream. That way, your body will detoxify itself of all vitamins, fluids, and electrolytes, leaving only a skeletal frame of locked joints and pores that leak curdled dairy product. No one will want to be around you and you will not be able to play football anymore.

Regional Semifinal

(1) DAMN IT, ASTROS, PART 6

(5) BRANDON FIELDS

Winner: (1) DAMN IT, ASTROS, PT 6
×

(1) DAMN IT, ASTROS, PART 6

Won Week 61 of TWIG with 1,496 votes.

In the space between the last GIF Tournament and this one, the Astros, rather than retreading their prior works, have been exploring new and inventive ways to fail. Diving into somebody's butt is a pretty solid effort. This is rookie Jonathan Villar, who posted a Wins Above Replacement value of exactly zero. In order to qualify as starter-caliber, a player needs to be at 2.0 or better. Of the 50 guys who suited up for the Astros last season, they had four such players.

More like Butt-tros, is what it's more like.

(5) BRANDON FIELDS

Won Week 71 of TWIG with 631 votes.

As I wrote when Mr. Fields first appeared in This Week In GIFs, it looks like he's cradling a little imaginary failure-baby. This GIF is perhaps not quite as great as the legendary MORTIFIED MICHIGAN PUNTER, but it's cut from the same cloth. It's probably not his fault, since he's just receiving a snap he's not ready for, but it's just thoroughly rewarding to see a hyper-specialized player fail so miserably at the one thing he's asked to do.

Regional Semifinal

(3) MARVEY'O OTEY

(2) ARTHUR JONES

Winner: (2) ARTHUR JONES
×

(3) MARVEY'O OTEY

p>Won Week 70 of TWIG with 765 votes.

How Otey, a high schooler, threw the ball that far behind his back is kind of a wonder. That it actually went in cannot be claimed as a signifier of his talent. It's just a freak happening, in which he played a part.

The best thing is that he wasn't even in the room when he scored. It's like the Basketball Judge-Gods cleared the court to deliberate, and ruled in his favor.

(2) ARTHUR JONES

Via For The Win. Won Week 54 of TWIG with 864 votes.

Sports nutritionists recommend that while practicing on a July afternoon for hours and hours in football equipment, you should make sure to eat lots and lots of ice cream. That way, your body will detoxify itself of all vitamins, fluids, and electrolytes, leaving only a skeletal frame of locked joints and pores that leak curdled dairy product. No one will want to be around you and you will not be able to play football anymore.

Regional Championship

(1) DAMN IT, ASTROS, PART 6

(2) ARTHUR JONES

Winner: (1) DAMN IT, ASTROS, PT 6
×

(1) DAMN IT, ASTROS, PART 6

Won Week 61 of TWIG with 1,496 votes.

In the space between the last GIF Tournament and this one, the Astros, rather than retreading their prior works, have been exploring new and inventive ways to fail. Diving into somebody's butt is a pretty solid effort. This is rookie Jonathan Villar, who posted a Wins Above Replacement value of exactly zero. In order to qualify as starter-caliber, a player needs to be at 2.0 or better. Of the 50 guys who suited up for the Astros last season, they had four such players.

More like Butt-tros, is what it's more like.

(2) ARTHUR JONES

Via For The Win. Won Week 54 of TWIG with 864 votes.

Sports nutritionists recommend that while practicing on a July afternoon for hours and hours in football equipment, you should make sure to eat lots and lots of ice cream. That way, your body will detoxify itself of all vitamins, fluids, and electrolytes, leaving only a skeletal frame of locked joints and pores that leak curdled dairy product. No one will want to be around you and you will not be able to play football anymore.

West
Round 1

(1) ADAM PARDY

(16) JÜRGEN KLINSMANN

Winner: (1) ADAM PARDY
×

(1) ADAM PARDY

Submitted by valued Internet subscriber Eric T. Won Week 68 of TWIG with 1,585 votes.

There's a Pardy in the stands, and everyone's invited. Except for that guy who stole his helmet. Not him.

(16) JÜRGEN KLINSMANN

Via @bubbaprog. Finished second in Week 54 of TWIG with 302 votes.

Klinsmann, coach of the U.S. national soccer team, was suspended for their match against Panama. So he cheered on his team from the press box. And then he went to Hell!

This is a GIF phenomenon known as the "unintentional special effect." We saw this with the legendary sports GIF known as HOCKEY SORCERY, and we also saw it in KENTUCKY FAN. What happened appeared to be intentionally engineered, but was not.

Earlier in this tournament, we observed the authorless artistry of GIFs -- that a GIF can be art, even though no artist intentionally ushered its art into being. This is also true of magic. These strings are being pulled, and no one is at the end.

(8) KENSUKE UCHIMARA

(9) SHANE VICTORINO

Winner: (9) SHANE VICTORINO
×

(8) KENSUKE UCHIMARA

Won Week 51 of TWIG with 505 votes.

Baseball has existed for 169 years. This might not be the first-ever Flying Pitchout Bunt, but at the very least, it's the only one I've ever seen. With two men in scoring position, it's daring and awesome in principle. The thing is, given how late he is to jump, I'm guessing he thought of this idea 0.1 seconds before he did it.

(9) SHANE VICTORINO

Via The Big Lead. Special nomination. Has not previously appeared in TWIG, but was nominated in the comments of Week 59 by valued Internet subscriber jrobulls.

I knew you'd show up, Shane Victorino. I believe in you. Unlike Victorino's nine billion other appearances in GIF tournaments, this one doesn't actually show him doing something dumb or bad.

A lady drops her phone and Shane hands it to her. Something's not right here. No misfortune is happening to anyo-- THERE IT IS

(5) LORENZO CAIN

(12) TROY TULOWITZKI / JOSE FERNANDEZ

Winner: (12) TROY TULOWITZKI / JOSE FERNANDEZ
×

(5) LORENZO CAIN

Via Bless You Boys, our Tigers blog. Won Week 55 of TWIG with 660 votes.

Baserunning might offer fewer choices than any other team-sport endeavor. At best, you are offered two options: run or stay. Most of the time, there's a force, and your options are to run or to just not play baseball. Lorenzo Cain found himself in such a situation here, and with a giant man taking his only baseball-playing option away, he tagged out as a wrestler would and walked away.

By the way, take note of how completely on it this umpire is. Good going, dude. Everyone needs to hear it from you.

(12) TROY TULOWITZKI / JOSE FERNANDEZ

Via GameReax.com. Won Week 58 of TWIG with 489 votes.

Eventual Rookie of the Year Jose Fernandez faces Troy Tulowitzki. It's late in the season, and neither team has a real shot at the playoffs. It's in Miami, so there are probably 18.6 people in the stadium. And a short GIF play breaks out. Unlike just about any other sports GIF I can think of, there's a dialogue, and we know exactly what both players are saying. They have a laugh, because nothing matters.

(4) ELVIS ANDRUS / ADRIAN BELTRE

(13) PAUL GEORGE

Winner: (4) ADRIAN BELTRE / ELVIS ANDRUS
×

(4) ELVIS ANDRUS / ADRIAN BELTRE

Won Week 52 of TWIG with 703 votes.

One of my favorite books as a little kid was Hound and Bear. They were two friends who lived together. Bear was big, kind, earnest, and gullible. Hound was always playing crummy pranks on him. In one of the book's short stories, Hound painted the inside of Bear's window panes black, and Bear stayed in bed for a couple days in a row because he thought it was nighttime. Just stuff like that. As I recall, there was no real reconciliation or resolution between the two. Bear would feel bad for getting made fun of, and Hound would feel terrible and ashamed. And then in the next story he'd just do something crummy again.

If you're familiar with Adrian Beltre, you might understand why I bothered to share that.

(13) PAUL GEORGE

Finished second in Week 75 of TWIG with 433 votes.

There's no real GIF magic here, no layers, not a lot to deconstruct. It's the "ducks flying over a pond" of sports GIFs. It's just Paul George throwing home the best in-game dunk I've seen all season, and it's just fine.

Round 1

(3) BUTTGOAL

(14) VILLANOVA FAKE PUNT

Winner: (3) BUTTGOAL
×

(3) BUTTGOAL

Won Week 72 of TWIG with 810 votes.

This is the thing about hockey GIFs: relative to the other major sports, there aren't so many great GIFs. But the ones that are great often achieve the status of legend.

This goal, which was in overtime, gave Mike Smith and the Coyotes the loss. It's like watching the end of a crappy disaster flick. After the disease is eradicated and everything is all better, there's one last cut to someone sneezing at the airport, opening the door for a sequel. There is never a sequel.

(14) VILLANOVA FAKE PUNT

Finished second in Week 59 of TWIG with 395 votes.

This is one of those "Magic Eye" GIFs. It took me several viewings to really process how this actually happened, and it didn't help that the camera operator was completely fooled into pointing at the wrong guy for half the play.

Once you do put it together, it's hilarious. No. 22 takes the snap, then bends down to fake-snap it himself. He tried to convince Boston College that he was re-snapping it, which is only a football thing in the sense that it's technically not illegal to do, AND THEY BOUGHT IT.

(6) RONNIE LOTT

(11) PEYTON MANNING

Winner: (6) RONNIE LOTT
×

(6) RONNIE LOTT

Via @PuntingWinning. Won Week 59 of TWIG with 594 votes.

This is a poignant illustration of the challenges athletes face once their playing days are over. Transitioning to chair-sitting just isn't easy. For the first two years of his broadcasting career, Dan Marino would just stand in front of a chair and lean forward until his chest hit it and it rolled away and he fell on the ground. Matt Millen refused to sit in his chair at all. Called it a "fool's bed."

(11) PEYTON MANNING

Special nomination. Has not previously appeared in TWIG.

Slow-motion bad-snap GIFs are great, because the ball's moving far faster than the guy can react, and all his actions are reduced to bug-eyed horror and feckless gesturing. The best quarterback of all time, in the biggest game of all time, is not immune. I don't think Manning's on par with MORTIFIED MICHIGAN PUNTER, but his spirit haunts this GIF.

(7) PHILIP RIVERS

(10) JOAKIM NOAH

Winner: (7) PHILIP RIVERS
×

(7) PHILIP RIVERS

Won Week 64 of TWIG with 533 votes.

There you are, Philip! It just wouldn't be a GIF Tournament without you.

(10) JOAKIM NOAH

Special nomination. Has not previously appeared in TWIG.

If you observe closely, you will note that Noah offers a separate "**** you" to all nine officials on the court: the crew chief, the baseline official, the center official, the backup center official, the treasurer, the decoy, the Honest William (so named after the 1974 Dishonest William incident), the foul-steward, and lastly, a fan in attendance named Travis. Travis possesses absolute authority over any refereeing decision, but he does not know it, and the sport will sink into chaos if he ever discovers his hidden ability. He thinks players should be able to shove the ball up their shirts and run around.

(2) JARED BURTON / BRIAN DUENSING

(15) GO IRISH

Winner: (2) JARED BURTON / BRIAN DUENSING
×

(2) JARED BURTON / BRIAN DUENSING

Won Week 56 of TWIG with 960 votes.

This trend was the most important thing to emerge from the 2013 baseball season: if two guys in the bullpen realize they're on camera, Player A fakes a punch at Player B's face. I believe these two guys started it.

Consider that a baseball team plays somewhere around 475 hours of baseball every regular season. Guys like Burton and Duensing are out there for maybe nine or 10 of those hours. They're probably better at goofing around than anyone else on Earth.

(15) GO IRISH

Finished second in Week 56 of TWIG with 371 votes.

The little graphic is there to let you know that coach Brian Kelly, just prior to this GIF, insisted that the gauntlet apparatus wasn't set up backwards. It was set up backwards. It was a rather unflattering moment for running back Cam McDaniel, but later that season, karma paid him back tenfold.

Round 2

(1) ADAM PARDY

(9) SHANE VICTORINO

Winner: (1) ADAM PARDY
×

(1) ADAM PARDY

Submitted by valued Internet subscriber Eric T. Won Week 68 of TWIG with 1,585 votes.

There's a Pardy in the stands, and everyone's invited. Except for that guy who stole his helmet. Not him.

(9) SHANE VICTORINO

Via The Big Lead. Special nomination. Has not previously appeared in TWIG, but was nominated in the comments of Week 59 by valued Internet subscriber jrobulls.

I knew you'd show up, Shane Victorino. I believe in you. Unlike Victorino's nine billion other appearances in GIF tournaments, this one doesn't actually show him doing something dumb or bad.

A lady drops her phone and Shane hands it to her. Something's not right here. No misfortune is happening to anyo-- THERE IT IS

(12) TROY TULOWITZKI / JOSE FERNANDEZ

(4) ELVIS ANDRUS / ADRIAN BELTRE

Winner: (12) TROY TULOWITZKI / JOSE FERNANDEZ
×

(12) TROY TULOWITZKI / JOSE FERNANDEZ

Via GameReax.com. Won Week 58 of TWIG with 489 votes.

Eventual Rookie of the Year Jose Fernandez faces Troy Tulowitzki. It's late in the season, and neither team has a real shot at the playoffs. It's in Miami, so there are probably 18.6 people in the stadium. And a short GIF play breaks out. Unlike just about any other sports GIF I can think of, there's a dialogue, and we know exactly what both players are saying. They have a laugh, because nothing matters.

(4) ELVIS ANDRUS / ADRIAN BELTRE

Won Week 52 of TWIG with 703 votes.

One of my favorite books as a little kid was Hound and Bear. They were two friends who lived together. Bear was big, kind, earnest, and gullible. Hound was always playing crummy pranks on him. In one of the book's short stories, Hound painted the inside of Bear's window panes black, and Bear stayed in bed for a couple days in a row because he thought it was nighttime. Just stuff like that. As I recall, there was no real reconciliation or resolution between the two. Bear would feel bad for getting made fun of, and Hound would feel terrible and ashamed. And then in the next story he'd just do something crummy again.

If you're familiar with Adrian Beltre, you might understand why I bothered to share that.

Round 2

(3) BUTTGOAL

(6) RONNIE LOTT

Winner: (3) BUTTGOAL
×

(3) BUTTGOAL

Won Week 72 of TWIG with 810 votes.

This is the thing about hockey GIFs: relative to the other major sports, there aren't so many great GIFs. But the ones that are great often achieve the status of legend.

This goal, which was in overtime, gave Mike Smith and the Coyotes the loss. It's like watching the end of a crappy disaster flick. After the disease is eradicated and everything is all better, there's one last cut to someone sneezing at the airport, opening the door for a sequel. There is never a sequel.

(6) RONNIE LOTT

Via @PuntingWinning. Won Week 59 of TWIG with 594 votes.

This is a poignant illustration of the challenges athletes face once their playing days are over. Transitioning to chair-sitting just isn't easy. For the first two years of his broadcasting career, Dan Marino would just stand in front of a chair and lean forward until his chest hit it and it rolled away and he fell on the ground. Matt Millen refused to sit in his chair at all. Called it a "fool's bed."

(7) PHILIP RIVERS

(2) JARED BURTON / BRIAN DUENSING

Winner: (2) JARED BURTON / BRIAN DUENSING
×

(7) PHILIP RIVERS

Won Week 64 of TWIG with 533 votes.

There you are, Philip! It just wouldn't be a GIF Tournament without you.

(2) JARED BURTON / BRIAN DUENSING

Won Week 56 of TWIG with 960 votes.

This trend was the most important thing to emerge from the 2013 baseball season: if two guys in the bullpen realize they're on camera, Player A fakes a punch at Player B's face. I believe these two guys started it.

Consider that a baseball team plays somewhere around 475 hours of baseball every regular season. Guys like Burton and Duensing are out there for maybe nine or 10 of those hours. They're probably better at goofing around than anyone else on Earth.

Regional Semifinal

(1) ADAM PARDY

(12) TROY TULOWITZKI / JOSE FERNANDEZ

Winner: (1) ADAM PARDY
×

(1) ADAM PARDY

Submitted by valued Internet subscriber Eric T. Won Week 68 of TWIG with 1,585 votes.

There's a Pardy in the stands, and everyone's invited. Except for that guy who stole his helmet. Not him.

(12) TROY TULOWITZKI / JOSE FERNANDEZ

Via GameReax.com. Won Week 58 of TWIG with 489 votes.

Eventual Rookie of the Year Jose Fernandez faces Troy Tulowitzki. It's late in the season, and neither team has a real shot at the playoffs. It's in Miami, so there are probably 18.6 people in the stadium. And a short GIF play breaks out. Unlike just about any other sports GIF I can think of, there's a dialogue, and we know exactly what both players are saying. They have a laugh, because nothing matters.

Regional Semifinal

(3) BUTTGOAL

(2) JARED BURTON / BRIAN DUENSING

Winner: (3) BUTTGOAL
×

(3) BUTTGOAL

Won Week 72 of TWIG with 810 votes.

This is the thing about hockey GIFs: relative to the other major sports, there aren't so many great GIFs. But the ones that are great often achieve the status of legend.

This goal, which was in overtime, gave Mike Smith and the Coyotes the loss. It's like watching the end of a crappy disaster flick. After the disease is eradicated and everything is all better, there's one last cut to someone sneezing at the airport, opening the door for a sequel. There is never a sequel.

(2) JARED BURTON / BRIAN DUENSING

Won Week 56 of TWIG with 960 votes.

This trend was the most important thing to emerge from the 2013 baseball season: if two guys in the bullpen realize they're on camera, Player A fakes a punch at Player B's face. I believe these two guys started it.

Consider that a baseball team plays somewhere around 475 hours of baseball every regular season. Guys like Burton and Duensing are out there for maybe nine or 10 of those hours. They're probably better at goofing around than anyone else on Earth.

Regional Championship

(1) ADAM PARDY

(3) BUTTGOAL

Winner: (1) ADAM PARDY
×

(1) ADAM PARDY

Submitted by valued Internet subscriber Eric T. Won Week 68 of TWIG with 1,585 votes.

There's a Pardy in the stands, and everyone's invited. Except for that guy who stole his helmet. Not him.

(3) BUTTGOAL

Won Week 72 of TWIG with 810 votes.

This is the thing about hockey GIFs: relative to the other major sports, there aren't so many great GIFs. But the ones that are great often achieve the status of legend.

This goal, which was in overtime, gave Mike Smith and the Coyotes the loss. It's like watching the end of a crappy disaster flick. After the disease is eradicated and everything is all better, there's one last cut to someone sneezing at the airport, opening the door for a sequel. There is never a sequel.