Billy Buck

So, the Sox won today, 5-0, but to me, that was not the big story. The big story is here, as Bill Buckner threw out the first pitch to a enormous standing ovation in Fenway this afternoon. (The link might take a little while to load, so be patient.) I wish I could have been there, it would have been awesome. The orchestra, the sunny day, the World Series ring ceremony. Wow. One of these days, I am going to go on marathon day, when the game gets out at the same time the Boston Marathon finishes. That would be awesome!!!

By now, everyone knows the media created story of Bill Buckner, the ball between the legs, the high-top cleats, the "choking" away of the '86 series for the Sox. But, as any non-pink hat wearing Red Sox fan knows, Bill Buckner belongs in not only the Red Sox Hall of Fame, but Cooperstown as well. Here's why:

Without Buckner, the team NEVER would have won the AL pennant that year. Buckner had 2700 hits, played through three decades, and was the leader of that Red Sox team in '86. Buckner should never has this media created stigma attached to him, as F-in John McNamara should have taken him out of the game anyways, for Dave Stapleton, the defensive replacement, like he had done all year. Plus, it was game 6! The team lost game 7 as well. And the bullpen with Schiraldi was horrible. Not too mention that Roger Clemens asked out of game six, like the sissy he has turned out to be. So, it was NOT Buckner's fault that they lost that series, it was a total team effort, not one guy. Unfortunately.

Over the years, the media killed Billy Buck. He had to move to some private ranch in Idaho toget some peace and quiet. He was a convenient scapegoat for dickholes like Dan Shaughnessy to find false story lines about and sell the heartbreaking tale of the Sox. (But the real reason we never won was no pitching and no defense, something Theo fixed in '04.) So, when he came back today, threw out the first pitch to Dewey Evans, it was awesome. Watch the video, watch some of the other videos, and you will see why Fenway is the best place in the world to watch any sporting event. Hands down.

SEP

P.S. Any old-timers out there reading this HS track blog, and got any Sox stories, let me here them in the comments. I'll turn the posting rules off so you can just post without a google account.