I’m not a huge fan of overblown championship ring celebrations prior to a regular-season game in the following year. I’d much rather the teams get it over with during the offseason.
I’m sorry—I know I’m a party-pooper, but I just don’t particularly like having my sports team looking back at the previous year once the new one has already started.
The 2008 Red Sox have nothing to do with the 2007 Red Sox. The 2008 season should not be impacted by the 2007 season.
There’s a contingent of Red Sox fans who believed that the 2005 Red Sox should have gotten a pass because the 2004 Red Sox won a championship.
That’s complete balderdash.
If I’m spending $400 to bring my family to a Red Sox game (not counting parking and food, of course), then the Red Sox should win every season...or face the wrath of a guy who just spent a month’s salary to sit in a cramped seat built for a guy half my size that’s facing directly towards a pole.
I’m not sure how this point can even be debated.
I’ll concede that most fans seem to enjoy the opening day ceremonies, but can we at least make them tasteful?
Give out the rings, honor the previous season’s team, and raise a banner.
Don’t have Neil Diamond on the big screen singing "Sweet Caroline" with Katie Couric's former boyfriend waving his arms, making a fool of himself while trying to pretend he’s enjoying it.
Owners should cut checks and cheer on their team. That’s it. Please stop reminding me that you’re nothing more than a rich LA dork.
Anyway, I’m a little annoyed tonight because my home opener was ruined by the whole “Bill Buckner’s Redemption and Forgiveness” storyline.
Way to ruin a good celebration, Red Sox.
I don’t blame Buckner for 1986.
I place all the blame for Game Six on the following people, in the following order:
1) John McNamara for not putting Dave Stapleton in at first base in the ninth inning (like he had done every other game, all season long).
2) Roger Clemens for allowing John McNamara to pull him (or for asking out of the game, depending on who tells the story).
3) Bob-Stanley-Calvin-Schiraldi for generally sucking.
So if we’re going to play the forgiveness game, let’s invite them back. I certainly still haven’t forgiven them.
Maybe the championship celebration would have put me in a forgiving mood (not likely, but maybe).
They can get their standing ovation, throw out the first pitch, and we can all let bygones be bygones. Everyone can leave happy.
But no, we need to bring back Bill Buckner.
The people who hate Bill Buckner aren’t Red Sox fans—they’re media types who used to make money peddling the Curse and using his error (in a game that was already well on the way to being blown, by the way) to propagate their stupidity across America and pass it off as the feelings of Red Sox Nation.
Every time Buckner's name is brought up, history is completely rewritten to make Red Sox fans look bad.
Boston hates Buckner. Boston never forgave Buckner. Boston blames Buckner for the Curse.
It’s all crap. Garbage. Hogwash.
In 1990, Bill Buckner made his triumphant return to Boston. This was four short years after the 1986 World Series, when old wounds were still fresh on Red Sox fans’ minds.
So, given the way things have been portrayed, we must have booed him off the field, destroyed his confidence, eaten his first born, and banished him to Canada. After all, we’re the awful Red Sox fans who blamed our cursed baseball team on his bad fielding, right?
As a matter of fact, Buckner received a five-minute standing ovation on Opening Day. Five minutes. Not a mixed reaction, not a smattering of boos—an overwhelming standing ovation.
Bygones were bygones, we all sang kumbaya, and we all loved each other again.
People love to pretend that never happened. They love to demonize the evil Boston sports fans who turned a pretty decent baseball player into a sympathetic punchline. Bringing him back reminds the rest of the world how ridiculous Red Sox fans are—even though the Red Sox fans have absolutely nothing to do with how he’s been portrayed.
It’s ESPN, who shows the highlight every time a team chokes in the playoffs. It’s Dan Shaughnessy, who should have paid Buckner a percentage of every penny he’s ever earned seeing that he built a career off of linking Buckner to his invented Curse. It’s the local sports TV stations in Boston, who continue to replay the Buckner error every time the Red Sox face the Mets in interleague play.
It’s not the fans. We could care less. We moved on.
Buckner said it right in his press conference yesterday: His issue was really with the media. I was glad to hear him say it, since I’ve heard him say some pretty negative things about Red Sox fans in the past.
Anyway, I lost my point entirely…
To sum this thing up, Bill Buckner should not have been a part of what was supposed to be a happy celebration. Save the ridiculous emotional healing crap for Dr. Phil.
By the way, Dice-K looked pretty good yesterday.
I’m SeanMC.
SeanMC is a Senior Writer at Bleacher Report. His archive can be found here. You can find everything he writes, including articles for other publications, here.
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2 months ago
Amen Sean.
2 months ago
Nice job
2 months ago
I couldn't agree more... Billy Buck has taken so much crap over the years for what I believe was actually Schiraldi/Stanley's fault (don't forget geddy) I wouldn't forgive Buckner for the reason you stated... there was nothing to forgive. Thank you for setting this one straight (again, I remember a Bill Simmons piece to this effect being written before '04 but this is very good nontheless)
Peace,
Max
2 months ago
The Red Sox had every opportunity to win game 7 and they didn't. The Reds lost game 6 against Boston in 1975, but came back to win series the next night. Boston lost the series they had won not just in game six. Up 2-0 going back to Boston, they lost 2 or 3. You can argue they lost it there, too.
The Mets won 'cause they were better.
from 2 months ago
I'm not saying the sox were the better team... Schiraldi and Stanley were the best we had in a potential world series clincher... that says something about the team. I was simply saying the Billy Buck (who belongs nin the HOF in my totally biased opinion) didn't deserve anything even approaching the flak he took after '86... he was like Steve Bartman times 100.
from 2 months ago
Hey, Max. Buck was an outstanding hitter. He could have even been better had he not broken his leg earlier in his career. Definitely deserves consideration for the hall. Mookie Wilson claims that he would have beaten Buckner to the bag anyway.
My response was more directed at the writer of the article, not really your comments per se.
My grandpa's name was Max. You must be cool. :)
2 months ago
Sean,
I couldn't have said it any better myself. This is an excellent article pointing out how this event had nothing to do with real Red Sox fans and their feelings. This was an event for ESPN, SI, non-Red Sox fans, and the dreaded pink-hatters. Just shut up and play the game, the Sox are too good to need gimmicks.
And yeah... Daisuke commanded his time on the mound.
Great piece, gets my Pick vote!
2 months ago
Well put. And this coming from a tortured Cleveland fan. Always good to hear from a true Boston fan and not a bandwagoner. Keep up the good stuff.
2 months ago
This is brilliant Sean—outstanding work here. This is the insider story of the 86' Series that true Boston fans know all too well, but that the mainstream sports networks never seems to share with their audience...
I wrote a blog entry highlighting this article as an example of the unique perspective that Bleacher Report brings to the world of sports media—check it out when you get a chance: http://blog.bleacherreport.com/?p=77
Keep the great stuff coming!
2 months ago
Great article Sean! I couldn't agree with you more. It's one thing to be pissed at a fan like Bartman for screwing up a win, but to blame the ultimate loss of a series on one play or one player is ridiculous.
2 months ago
"So, given the way things have been portrayed, we must have booed him off the field, destroyed his confidence, eaten his first born and banished him to Canada."
Best quote ever...
I have to disagree with your point about ring ceremonies though.
There is nothing like the camaraderie fans feel after their team has won a championship. It's great to embrace a fellow fan you've never met before while celebrating and have lunch with a stranger at a deli who wants to relive that final game just as much as you do.
I am still high on the Giants Super Bowl win (not trying to rub it in, Sean!). Although the Mets have been toying with my heart during this young baseball season, I can't help but talk about the Super Bowl with any Giant fan I come across. I frankly don't see why spontaneous victory parties aren't breaking out when two Giants fans are within a half-mile radius.
Early in the baseball season, fans should still be able to savor the triumphs of the previous season. Sure, if it's July or August and your team is going nowhere fast, you may not give a hoot about last season. But you still have your bragging rights until the new champion is crowned.
2 months ago
ESPN Classic should be blamed for all the Bill Buckner memories - up in Canada, they re-play the game over and over again every few months, and I still wonder why. It wasn't a "classic" game by any stretch of the imagination - it was a poorly managed (on both sides), poorly played (error by Knight earlier), poorly executed (HoJo Johnson in the ninth) game and yet it gets talked about by the media because it was the Red Sox and this supposed curse.
Anyone who watches that replay over and over again would know that Mookie Wilson would have beaten Buckner to the bag had he fielded it to begin with. The inning would have continued regardless, and the Mets still might have won the game.
2 months ago
Don't forget to hand out some blame to Rich Gedman, as in he who tried to back hand a passed ball with the tying run on third. Honestly, can any Sox fan ever NOT see Varitek throwing every ounce of his entire being in front of a pitch like that given the circumstances?
from 2 months ago
Fantastic point. Should have been prominently included in my list of blame.
2 months ago
Don't forget to hand out some blame to Rich Gedman, as in he who tried to back hand a passed ball with the tying run on third. Honestly, can any Sox fan ever NOT see Varitek throwing every ounce of his entire being in front of a pitch like that given the circumstances?
2 months ago
Don't forget to hand out some blame to Rich Gedman, as in he who tried to back hand a passed ball with the tying run on third. Honestly, can any Sox fan ever NOT see Varitek throwing every ounce of his entire being in front of a pitch like that given the circumstances?
2 months ago
"If I’m spending $400 to bring my family to a Red Sox game (not counting parking and food, of course), then the Red Sox should win every season or face the wrath of a guy who just spent a month’s salary to sit in a cramped seat built for a guy half my size that’s facing directly towards a pole."
I suppose the question would be why you do it, then.
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