Opening Day Reaction
People keep asking me about my thoughts on the Red Sox having Bill Buckner return to throw out the first pitch during the home opener. I thought it was great! Bill Buckner didn’t leave Boston on good terms so this allows him to have a positive memories of the Boston Red Sox and their fans. This was good for Bill, the fans, and for the Red Sox Organization.
There are a few guys who have been tacked to the wall by the fans. Guys like Bob Stanley, Bill Buckner, or Mike Torrez who had successful careers save for one unfortunate event in a key situation.
I was in the clubhouse for the first pitch and I thought it was funny to see the confusion on the faces of some of the younger players. They had no idea what the ovation was for. The game has changed and the younger players know more about iPods, cell phones, and video games than Williams, Yaz, and Fisk.
April 22nd, 2008 at 4:34 pm
I’m happy the fans have finally let bygones be bygones. I know it doesn’t do me any good to hold a grudge.
April 23rd, 2008 at 6:57 am
I don’t think Torrez gets it too bad. It’s Bucky F’n Dent, not Mike F’n Torrez.
April 27th, 2008 at 9:28 am
Tacked to wall is right, but keep in mind that you have certain wing nuts in the press that keep beating the drum against certain guys.
Like those young players you mention, you have young fans that don’t know the whole story. They catch a lead from some clown in the paper and dump on Billy B or the Steamer. They don’t realize that Billy Buck was a big part of getting to the Series or they don’t understand that the Steamer was a high quality player on many Sox teams.
The people who have spent 22 years crucifying Buckner are the loud minority. It was good to see him at opening day, and even better to say Welcome Home Billy.
July 17th, 2008 at 9:11 am
Unfortunately all these “fans” who still blame Billy Buckner for the worls series loss forget that the erroe happened in game six, not seven… So the sox still had another chance… It also happened in, if I remember correctly, the 7th inning, not in the 9th…
August 7th, 2009 at 7:32 am
Throughout the last two months of the 1986 season, Stapleton was inserted at 1st base for defense. The manager did not put him in for game 6. I’m thinking Buckner should not even have been in that situation, and the manager blew the game.