Grynszpan spent the remainder of his life being shuttled among prisons and concentration camps, where he very likely met an ignominious end.

WSJ: Book Review: The Short, Strange Life of Herschel Grynszpan

But his tenure as captain came to an ignominious end in February 2010 after he was revealed as the sportsman behind a gagging injunction involving his private life.

CNN: Terry retires from England amid racism case

Referee Horacio Elizondo was left with no alternative but to send Zidane to the dressing room, an ignominious end to the career of one of the greatest footballers of all time.

CNN: Zidane sees red as Italy win Cup

And while the one-time superstar might be smarting from such an ignominious end to the season, he might take heart from knowing that another New York A Rod has got it a whole lot worse than he does.

FORBES: A Rod--The Horse--Loses At Belmont

In January of this year, the line was brought to an abrupt and ignominious end when this 13-year-old female was crushed to death by a falling tree.

ECONOMIST: New kid on the block

It may still end in an ignominious defeat for Mr Obama, as it did for Bill Clinton's efforts in the mid-1990s, though that could be a blessing in disguise for those genuinely concerned about the need to control costs.

ECONOMIST: The Senate starts to debate health reform, at long last