Leave It to Buckner | SportsFilter

As much as I've always felt bad for Buckner for having his great career defined by one bad play, not to mention the years of harassment that he has had to suffer at the hands of assholes who are unable to put sports into perspective, after reading Wolfson's article I am now convinced I have not done enough to show my disapproval of assholes, like Wolfson, who think it is OK to persecute someone for an error committed in a game 20 years ago. Fuck Him. I only wish that Buckner and that Cub's fan who caught the foul ball could become millionaires soley on the fact that they made legions of immature assholes unhappy because their team lost a game. That is all.

posted by sic at 02:15 AM - reply - flag:

Don't beat around the bush Sic, tell us how you really feel.

posted by louisville_slugger at 06:30 AM - reply - flag:

Why is it wrong for Bill Buckner to exploit the moment for commercial gain, but it's OK for hundreds of journalists to exploit the moment for done-to-death commentary like this Boston Magazine piece? Buckner wouldn't be making nearly as much money without a legion of sportshacks keeping the error alive -- even after the Curse ended.

posted by rcade at 07:25 AM - reply - flag:

One word for this article. Pathetic!!!!! I'm sure the Tiger fans could have a hayday with Zumya and Verlander if they were like the "nose in the air" Boston fans. Just glad we were able to play there. Life goes on the next day. Take time to hug your family and tell them you love them. That last much longer than who won the game too many years ago.

posted by coach at 07:33 AM - reply - flag:

Buckner has more grace, class, and humor, and certainly more game , than the author can ever hope to have, if you ask me.

posted by mjkredliner at 07:43 AM - reply - flag:

I'm with y'all on this one, so far. Guys like John Wolfson should be extraordinarily happy that Buckner committed such a gaff, and saved them from two decades of journalism requiring effort. Go Bill. Make 'em all pay. And rcade hit the nail on the head.

posted by WeedyMcSmokey at 07:49 AM - reply - flag:

Many others, especially the media, refuse to let that moment die, so I'm glad Buckner is now cashing in on the mistake. If the play would have been allowed to die a natural death decades later, maybe Buckner could let it go. No chance of that. It sounds like he's a enterprising guy, though. And the idea the autographed photos are so popular tells me it's a great idea. It's baseball history. Unless someone feels Buckner made the error intentionally, move on and let it go. Go watch "Fever Pitch."

posted by dyams at 08:10 AM - reply - flag:

I read two paragraphs of that article and wanted to punch the guy. Another hack Boston so-called sportswriter who's too lazy, too stupid, or too unimaginative to come up with a story idea and then, gosh, write the damn thing. The way he peppered that article with "Buck" this and "Buck" that was annoying in and of itself, and even more annoying when you consider the likelihood that the snide jackass was using it as a quicker way to his mandatory-minimum 300 words. What a donkey.

posted by lil_brown_bat at 08:12 AM - reply - flag:

"Life goes on the next day. Take time to hug your family and tell them you love them. That last much longer than who won the game too many years ago." Well said, Coach. Go Buckner.

posted by davebslp at 09:19 AM - reply - flag:

ESPN did a piece on this around the anniversary. That Buckner guy sure is an asshole. Making people give him money to sign something they don't want. Nope, there is no way people want a picture signed by him and Mookie. Jerk. Stealing money and free will.

posted by apoch at 10:04 AM - reply - flag:

How do you steal free will? Are we about to have a discussion on predestination?

posted by lil_brown_bat at 10:21 AM - reply - flag:

When I was a child,I saw Mickey Mantle drop a fly ball.I,ve seen Albert Pujols make several errors.Al Kaline,Pete Rose,Carl Yastremski,even God forbid,Ozzie Smith--I have seen with my own lyin' eyes make errors.Pretty good company-huh?Much better list to be on than those players who never got to play long enough to "boot" one.

posted by Tubby Fan at 10:24 AM - reply - flag:

I was being sarcastic. He's not taking money from anyone who doesn't want to give it to him. People feel they are getting something of value for their money. It's a free market economy. I have no problems with Buckner making money off of it.

posted by apoch at 10:30 AM - reply - flag:

Hey coach, not all Boston fans "have their nose in the air. I'm a die hard Boston fan and I am far from what you described as being one. I for one have forgotten about that "ball thru the legs night" long ago. It's something that happened 20 years ago. Life goes on. Since then, we finally won a World Series. Athletes and people in general make errors in life. Not only do athletes make errors in the sport that they play, they also make mistakes or bad judgement just like everyone else in every day life. If these assholes would only let this Buckner thing die. But its part of baseball history. Buckner keeps making money off this because assholes like Wolfson won't stop beating a dead horse. Let it die. It's 20 years later. There's more important things in life than Buckner. I for one would not pay for a Buckner autograph. But as long as this thing keeps going, and he's making money, more power to him. The people that can't put it to rest are the ones to blame. Not Buckner himself.

posted by Ghastly1 at 11:15 AM - reply - flag:

It amazes me how these feelings linger with some people for 20 years on. I'm a Mets fan and remember that game vividly, along with the rush of excitement that came with the winning run scoring. But a few nights later, after the Mets had won Game Seven, I found that the euphoria of winning the whole thing lasted about 15 minutes -- then I had to go study for an exam or something. Losses do linger longer -- this year's Mets loss lasted all the way to the next morning, in a kind of "wouldn't it have been nice" sort of way (especially since I now think the Mets would've beaten the Tigers...) What I'm wondering is, in this community, how long would you say the rush of your team winning stays with you, and how long does it take for (to steal from Bill Simmons) the gut-punch of losing to wear off?

posted by ajaffe at 11:26 AM - reply - flag:

I'm pretty sure the ghost of Fred Merkle is happy to see someone else in the "error" spotlight, and maybe he'll remind Buckner that, eventually, there won't be anyone around to remember it...

posted by grum@work at 12:07 PM - reply - flag:

Remember the "Shot Heard 'Round The World"? Thompson and Branca later created a mini-industry of co-signed memorabilia of the game. [example] I don't blame Branca for participating in those signing sessions anymore than I blame Buckner for making some money off of his misfortune. I seriously doubt that any reasonable Red Sox fan would care about this either. And if they do, they SHOULD go watch "Fever Pitch", because that movie sucks and they deserve some kind of punishment. ajaffe, Bill Simmons is not the first person ever to equate a tough loss with a punch to the gut. He doesn't have a patent on that concept. I'm sure the Tiger fans could have a hayday with Zumya and Verlander if they were like the "nose in the air" Boston fans. Enlighten me, coach, what in the world is a "hayday"? Is that some Midwestern harvesting-based activity? Never heard of it.

posted by Venicemenace at 12:46 PM - reply - flag:

A baseball player charges for his autograph? Stop the presses.

posted by SummersEve at 01:48 PM - reply - flag:

The article did suck overall, and while I truly do hope one of these guys breaks a foot on the dead horse. I must give this guy credit for only one paragraph that made me laugh. But you, Buckyou who committed the error that symbolized the most agonizing moment in all the anguished history of the Boston Red Sox; who played here for just a blink of an eye; who knows nothing of us and seems to care even lessyou prance around like Monica Lewinsky at the Republican National Convention, autographing Garcia y Vegas for anybody willing to lay a few dollars on the table. You give it away cheap, Buck. All of it. He kind of makes me wonder just how much he does know about the Red Sox. I don't know much, but this ass comes off like he knows it all.

posted by jojomfd1 at 01:49 PM - reply - flag:

How anyone has blamed Buckner for that loss is beyond me. We all know it was Bob "Bigfoot" Stanley that blew that game. Why has he skated all these years?

posted by GOD at 02:35 PM - reply - flag:

How come everyone fails to mention that at the time "the error" occurred it was only game 6. When they show the replay they make it seem like that error ended the series. Am I mistaken or did they play another game? Same with the Cubs fan situation. If it was the last out of game 7 I could understand all the hoopla.

posted by yay-yo at 02:44 PM - reply - flag:

And Ray Knight made the error that allowed the Sox to go up to begin with earlier in that game.

posted by sfts2 at 02:58 PM - reply - flag:

Venicemenace, you are no doubt correct, but that's where I saw it...

posted by ajaffe at 03:05 PM - reply - flag:

don't blame Branca for participating in those signing sessions anymore than I blame Buckner for making some money off of his misfortune. Why is the losing participant in a classic moment supposed to eat a shame sandwich for the rest of his life anyway? It's a game. You can't have a win for the ages without a loser who equally captures the imagination. The Catch wouldn't be nearly as momentous without Everson Walls in the picture, a few atmospheric layers below Dwight Clark. If I was Buckner, I'd ride the infamy train all the way to Millionaire Town. That's a better trip than a ride on the Nobody Cares We Won Express, which is filled with members of the recent Florida Marlins championship team and half of the Super Bowl winners of the last 10 years.

posted by rcade at 03:11 PM - reply - flag:

He kind of makes me wonder just how much he does know about the Red Sox. Makes me wonder how much he knows about Buckner, for that matter. How much of an opportunist is he if he spent fifteen years hiding out on a farm in Idaho? This article was so ham-handed, poorly thought-out & written, and proudly ignorant of the story it claims to be about, that I feel bad even dignifying it with a comment in this thread.

posted by chicobangs at 04:09 PM - reply - flag:

The Catch wouldn't be nearly as momentous without Everson Walls in the picture, a few atmospheric layers below Dwight Clark. I think the difference between The Catch, The Shot Heard 'Round the World and The Error is that the average fan believes it was a great play by Montana/Clark, a terrific home run by Thompson, but a serious f*ckup by Buckner. Expanding on it, no fan in their right mind thinks they could have intercepted/blocked that pass by Montana, or blown a pitch by Thompson, but they probably think they could have fielded that ground ball. BTW: "eating a shame sandwich" is comedy gold. I am going to use that every chance I get.

posted by grum@work at 04:26 PM - reply - flag:

When the Red Sox lost the '86 series I cried, however, I was ten and fortunately I was able to grow up. I still cheer for the home team as much as the next guy and I love sports enough to debate it with complete strangers but people have to step back once in a while and put things in perspective. I am glad for Buckner after all of the crap he went through over the years. And what was it you have to do to catch that infamy train all the way to millionare town?

posted by kyrilmitch_76 at 06:25 PM - reply - flag:

I, for one, would by an autographed picture of Bartman.

posted by Joey Michaels at 06:39 PM - reply - flag:

Nobody ever says anything about the pitcher who wild pitched in the tying run before the losing error,why is that?20 years,let it go!!that was only game 6.they blew a three run lead in game 7,who's on the hook for that one?

posted by mars1 at 07:39 PM - reply - flag:

Well said grum@work, well said.

posted by Ghastly1 at 09:07 PM - reply - flag:

As far as I can tell, I'm the only writer from Boston in this crowd. The year 1986 is not remembered with much fondness by Red Sox fans, Really? Is that so??? Then why on earth did the team celebrate the 1986 pennant winners with a big celebration at Fenway - get this - when the Mets were the opponent?!

posted by MAYANKEE at 12:37 PM - reply - flag:

MaYankee, you don't even need to get that far into the article to know this writer is full of crap. The subheadline referencing the "unforgivable" Buckner is absolutely absurd. Everyone is over 1986. This is a non-story.

posted by Venicemenace at 02:27 PM - reply - flag:

Then why on earth did the team celebrate the 1986 pennant winners with a big celebration at Fenway Uhm, because they celebrated every pennant winner in the year after the Sox finally won another Series. I don't think 1946 is all that fondly remembered either.

posted by yerfatma at 02:38 PM - reply - flag:

You got your series red sox fans deal with it buckner was a great player despitE the fact he had a cubs batting glove on at that time the only thing I could compare thaT TOO IS LEON DURHAM'S GLOVE GO FIGURE

posted by luther70 at 03:50 PM - reply - flag:

Well said.

posted by yerfatma at 05:32 PM - reply - flag:

O.k. I guess I'll be the lone dissenter. I knew this topic had been driven into the ground, and everyone's already made up their minds on the subject (same responses from previous threads). Hell, I don't think most people actually read the article. And I could do without the bitterness of the writer, but I find myself agreeing with most of the article. I never blamed Buckner. I blamed clemens and his phantom blister. I know a lot of boston fans, and I don't know one that blames Buckner. I don't know a boston fan on sportsfilter who blames Buckner. When Buckner came back to boston for his last season he received a standing ovation, and said he was touched. When the team won the world series several players called Buckner. When the 86 team had it's 20th anniversary this year Buckner didn't attend, and yes he still received a big ovation. Hell, when tony graffinino made a critical error (much more critical then Buckners) during last years playoffs he received a standing ovation during his next at bat. There's a lot of boston fans today who are too young to even remember Buckner's error. Buckner became the scapegoat for the series, and that was unfortunate. He doesn't owe the sox fans, or any fans anything. And there's nothing wrong with making money off of his error, even though it reeks of hypocrisy. If Buckner wants to remain a bitter man hiding out in Iowa, that's his prerogative. But as someone who never blamed him, has felt sorry for him, and has defended him in the past, I really don't feel sympathy for him any longer (not that he's asking for it). Arod is treated far worse at yankee stadium than Buckner ever would be at Fenway Park. Hank Aaron received death threats simply for the color of his skin, and he's managed to deal with it and keep himself involved in the game. He has every right to handle the situation the way he has, but I don't see Buckner's handling of the situation as classy. He simply hasn't handled it at all.

posted by justgary at 10:29 AM - reply - flag:

Well said justgary.

posted by Ying Yang Mafia at 10:41 AM - reply - flag:

You're definitely not the lone dissenter. I just don't want to be associated with the rabble.

posted by yerfatma at 12:23 PM - reply - flag:

Amen, Lone Dissenter. Some people just don't know what the hell they're talking about, and let the idiots at ESPN make their minds up for them.

posted by The_Black_Hand at 08:00 AM - reply - flag:

Monday, October 30, 2006

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