RIP Bill Buckner

[The X Man]

Wait, were you honestly expecting the winning team’s fans to give him a break? Especially Mets fans? Seriously?
Besides, we did the same thing to Mariano Rivera after he blew it for them in ‘04, right? The old everybody-does-it argument doesn’t wash. Fans can be brutal, and it’s not just Sox fans. Remember Bartman in Chicago had to go into hiding for years.,

You’re correct but I just get the impression from reading these threads that the New York fans and especially Mets were all about being classy.

 

[Deepster]

You’re correct but I just get the impression from reading these threads that the New York fans and especially Mets were all about being classy.

It doesn’t matter what any other team of their fans did. For this guy? The Sox fan base made his life hell. That’s just the fact.

 

[upstater]

I promise you I had no problem comprehending his post.

Some people legit think a bombing which killed a few people is the biggest tragedy the city has ever seen. The city's response maybe led them to believe that, they shut down the entire friggin' city because of a 19 year old.

Irrelevant to anything said in this thread since no one claimed otherwise.

 

[The Viking]

This is a perfect example of my point. It wasn't a few idiots. And now, realizing how bad that fanbase reacted, they try to distance themselves with the "it wasn't me!" angle. Bull. I've lived as a Mets fan in Red Sox country my whole life. It wasn't a few idiots.

Unless you were a Sox fan I don't think you could comprehend at the time how awful the 1986 loss was. And yet, despite that, the "fanbase" reacted days after the error by treating him like a King at the rally.
They reacted 4 years later by giving him a standing ovation when he returned to Boston as a player.
This idea that's out there that Sox fans have only been nice to him after 2004 is laughable.
Yes there were idiot fans out there as there are with every fanbase. No one denies that.
But I don't ever confuse all BY posters as dolts just because of the lazy contributions of people like yourself. That's not how it works.

 

[mauconnfan]

Unless you were a Sox fan I don't think you could comprehend at the time how awful the 1986 loss was. And yet, despite that, the "fanbase" reacted days after the error by treating him like a King at the rally.
They reacted 4 years later by giving him a standing ovation when he returned to Boston as a player.
This idea that's out there that Sox fans have only been nice to him after 2004 is laughable.
Yes there were idiot fans out there as there are with every fanbase. No one denies that.
But I don't ever confuse all BY posters as dolts just because of the lazy contributions of people like yourself. That's not how it works.

As someone who lived in an area with those fans who felt impact of the series and play I feel it's somewhere between you and Deep. Deep may have an exaggeration on his end but I think you fall a bit short on the reaction from your fanbase. It was very disrespectful of a very good baseball player for a play that was never the sole reason they gagged.

Having said that your point of "every fanbase" in a situation so large, a play so huge is going to have it's idiots. My only point is ESPN using it in a lead to announce his passing and the Boston Globe also had it in the first paragraph announcing his passing. That's pure classless.

 

[Deepster]

Unless you were a Sox fan I don't think you could comprehend at the time how awful the 1986 loss was. And yet, despite that, the "fanbase" reacted days after the error by treating him like a King at the rally.
They reacted 4 years later by giving him a standing ovation when he returned to Boston as a player.
This idea that's out there that Sox fans have only been nice to him after 2004 is laughable.
Yes there were idiot fans out there as there are with every fanbase. No one denies that.
But I don't ever confuse all BY posters as dolts just because of the lazy contributions of people like yourself. That's not how it works.

I'm a Mets and Jets fan. Don't lecture me about comprehending loss.

And I've heard plenty of negative reaction to Buckner this week at the water cooler. So let's not act like Sox Nation is warm and fuzzy now.

 

[HuskyHawk]

I'm a Mets and Jets fan. Don't lecture me about comprehending loss.

And I've heard plenty of negative reaction to Buckner this week at the water cooler. So let's not act like Sox Nation is warm and fuzzy now.

And let's not act like whoever you heard at the water cooler represents Red Sox Nation. There are good and bad fans of every team. No more or less so for the Sox than others. I live in Mass and have not encountered a single person who wasn't saddened by Bill Buck's passing and didn't express remorse for how he was initially treated in 86. Were some of those people the ones who treated him badly? Maybe. Who cares?

 

[mauconnfan]

And let's not act like whoever you heard at the water cooler represents Red Sox Nation. There are good and bad fans of every team. No more or less so for the Sox than others. I live in Mass and have not encountered a single person who wasn't saddened by Bill Buck's passing and didn't express remorse for how he was initially treated in 86. Were some of those people the ones who treated him badly? Maybe. Who cares?

Hmmmm? Who cares? Maybe his family did and the fans sudden sadness means nothing at this point?

 

[Husky25]

Well, this turned into a heck of a eulogy.

When I remember Bill Buckner from his playing days, it is a picture taken from Fenway's third base photographer's well of him stumbling around second base with Claudell Washington's legs in the air behind the short right field fence on the only inside-the-park-homerun of his career.

The other thing I remember of him is how much he resembled my favorite player at the time, Dwight Evans.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Hmmmm? Who cares? Maybe his family did and the fans sudden sadness means nothing at this point?

It isn't sudden. As others pointed out, he got a standing ovation in Fenway when he was still an active player. People make mistakes. Bill did, and the people who harshly criticized him and didn't let it go did. Acting like there is still some significant undercurrent of resentment of Buckner is ridiculous. It's long been gone except for a few morons. Hell, even given a week to reflect most of us put the loss on McNamara, Stanley and Calvin S.

 

[mauconnfan]

It isn't sudden. As others pointed out, he got a standing ovation in Fenway when he was still an active player. People make mistakes. Bill did, and the people who harshly criticized him and didn't let it go did. Acting like there is still some significant undercurrent of resentment of Buckner is ridiculous. It's long been gone except for a few morons. Hell, even given a week to reflect most of us put the loss on McNamara, Stanley and Calvin S.

Standing ovation? Was that 2004 or after? Bill made a mistake? His error is not the same as people personally attacking him for doing something none of those idiots have done since a softball game or LL where they sucked anyway Hawk. Let's not throw Bills "mistake" in with the idiot fans "mistake."

Hey it's over is what it is. but it was awful for a very long time, really awful by a lot more than a "few".

I'm done he was a great baseball guy, player RIP Bill.

 

[superjohn]

This is a bit reminiscent of everyone lauding Ali in death, when he made his principled stand many of those same people singing his praises now treated him like dirt when he was young and vibrant.

 

[UConnNick]

Anybody who felt the need to move from Mass. to Idaho to escape from idiotic fans who were harassing him, and even worse, his family, was obviously encountering more than a few classless fans. There were enough of them to prompt a cross country move, standing ovations notwithstanding.

If it weren't for the fact that there were more than a few of these knuckleheads, ESPN, et al. wouldn't be appealing to the lowest common denominator, in the disgraceful way they've emphasized front and center his one bad play on the biggest stage of his sport. Somebody at ESPN made the sad editorial decision to appeal to that element of the Red Sox fanbase, apparently because they think it resonates with those folks, who unfortunately are still out there in significant enough numbers, as far as ESPN is concerned.

 

[August_West]

I'm a Mets and Jets fan. Don't lecture me about comprehending loss.

And I've heard plenty of negative reaction to Buckner this week at the water cooler. So let's not act like Sox Nation is warm and fuzzy now.

^^ There is no bar too low for this guy ^^

 

[Husky25]

I'm not sure how concerned I am about opposing fans projecting how Red Sox fans should remember Bill Buckner.

Fans will be fans. A fair amount are knuckleheads, but their numbers pale in comparison to any team's overall fandom. Buckner himself said he had to forgive the media more than the fans in order to return for Opening Day, 2008. The media shapes the narrative for the outside sporting world. The vast majority of Red Sox fans (probably approaching 99.5% or higher) have nothing to be ashamed about. Much less so than the fans of other teams holding signs in the stands or on message boards listing Buckner among the Killer Bs. Don't see those signs or posts much anymore.

In regard to the Mets: With hindsight being 20/20 and all, I'll take the last 33 years as a Sox fan over the '86 World Series any day of the week and twice on Sunday.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Standing ovation? Was that 2004 or after? Bill made a mistake? His error is not the same as people personally attacking him for doing something none of those idiots have done since a softball game or LL where they sucked anyway Hawk. Let's not throw Bills "mistake" in with the idiot fans "mistake."

Hey it's over is what it is. but it was awful for a very long time, really awful by a lot more than a "few".

I'm done he was a great baseball guy, player RIP Bill.

No, 1990. He was still playing. He ended his career back in Boston. Bill Buckner Forgave Boston — and That's What Matters I'm not defending any idiots who threatened him or attacked him personally. I'm simply saying it was over long, long ago.

I agree with your last sentence.

 

[ClifSpliffy]

worst boston thing ever? on behalf of countless millions of former boston area college students (NOT 'bc' students, they can't sing, dance, or playsports), we say the Rat's demise in k-square knocked the earth ever so slightly off its access. even nukes, or kale chips could not do that. don't know much about him, but that sox dewey guy always seems to have deep props across lobsterland. his baseball card is nice but his 'q' rating is off the charts. why? did he single handidly defeat the klingons at waterloo? did he change his name from horace clark? life can be confusing at times. r.i.p, double b.

 

[Madmannsucks]

So it's not unique to one city or team. I remember a good young pitcher whom the Yankees signed as a free agent. Ed Whitson was heckled mercilessly by the Yankee(home)fans and would not let his wife go to games.
I remember the chants...Ehhh Dee....Ehhh Dee.

 

[mauconnfan]

So it's not unique to one city or team. I remember a good young pitcher whom the Yankees signed as a free agent. Ed Whitson was heckled mercilessly by the Yankee(home)fans and would not let his wife go to games.
I remember the chants...Ehhh Dee....Ehhh Dee.

Yeah but that's an unfair comparison because he didn't make one bad play he made 25 bad starts LOL.All kidding aside you have this right fans were rotten, don;t think he was all that young he actually was proven prior but never was able to make it in NY as so many others found.