Dan Patrick on the Class & Professionalism of the Late Bill Buckner | 5/28/19

[@joecahill1994]

Bob Stanley’s wild pitch was a bigger blunder IMO, but the way Buckner handled it all is really a testament to his character. We need more men like him

[@luisponce7994]

Wild pitch and the bad bullpen in the last 2 innings

[@wvu05]

And Schiraldi, too.

[@crosscatch]

Any Cub fan who saw him play will remember him for being a great hitter who never struck out. He won a batting title as a Cub and may have let the team in steals once - I don't remember - on a bad ankle that didn't bend and had to be treated before and after each game just so he could walk. My mother died of Lewy Body and to think of him dying of the same thing is painful to even think about.

[@d7bhw2]

This is why Dan is the best. Rest in Peace to a class act Bill Buckner.

[@steventesta6782]

Buckner was a real gamer. I can remember him hobbling around on his bad legs he gave it everything that he had.RIP Billy Buckner

[@jamestoal2874]

I was raised in Boston and I am a lifelong Red Sox fan. I was 20 years old in 86, and I never blamed Bill Buckner. I blame McNamara. Thank you for this Dan. it greatly saddens me as another piece of my baseball childhood dies

[@ohmicah]

I still curse when I hear the names Calvin Sheralldi and Bob Stanley.

[@robertjimenez9067]

it was the manager who should take the blame billy martin would replace reggie jackson with paul bair he had a better glove

[@dzanier]

it was McNamara's fault.

[@scottross4374]

McNamara....Schiraldi....Stanley....and Gedman were mostly responsible for what happened

[@jamesbowman8138]

@@robertjimenez9067 Reggie came off bench produced

[@mookie449]

Anyone who knows baseball knows how great Bill Buckner was. Great, great hitter.

[@rainbow4343]

Thanks Dan for sharing your thoughts and memories of this great ball player. I grew up just a couple of blocks from Bill and good friends with his older brother, Bob. Bill was two years younger and we both played sports in Napa. I lived in Houston during his Dodger years and he always left me tickets. After the game we would go out to dinner and he even included me in several outings with team members. Bill and I were never that close but he wanted to share his success with someone from his neighborhood. He made me feel so special. In my book he was a HOF ball player and HOF human being with a great heart. RIP Billy Buck.

[@Anthony-sn9kl]

And a remarkable fielding percentage

[@marclaporte3710]

2800 career hits and an NL batting title !

[@jesuischarlie6381]

Growing up in Chicago during the early 80’s I got to watch Buckner a lot. He was the face of the cubs for years. Tremendous hitter too, hit for average. How he was blamed for the 86 World Series, I’ll never understand.

[@RevengeAvenger]

If it was a game 7 loss... I would understand.

[@upnorthgopher]

Game 6, bad bullpen, not the only issue with the Red Sox collapse that series for sure. And was a stellar fielder most of his career. One bad play at the worst time.

[@paleo704]

Lmao@ tremendous hitter

[@routeirish2503]

Bill BUCKNER is a HALL OF FAME PLAYER!!

[@79antigua]

without question he did it all with one leg

[@maxman4194]

always enjoyed buckner when he was with the cubs, a true pro

[@Anthony-sn9kl]

Same

[@marclaporte3710]

2700+ hits !! NL Batting title !! Dude could flat out rake. We're talking in the top 70 ALL-TIME in hits with over 20,000 MLB players. The man was borderline Cooperstown worthy. That's how I remember him.

[@darrellmfume4505]

Cram, all what you have said is TRUE...but you forgot one thing. Buckner's HIGH fielding percentage of first basemen in the N.L. in the 70's, and 80's.

[@Classicrocker6119]

I’m a Mets fan and truly believe that Bill Buckner should be remembered for having an awesome career. May he RIP.

[@williamhicks7736]

Buckner might’ve thought that he lost the game… but most people I know don’t look at it that way. He was a great player! And after hearing about him moving his family, sounds like he was a real champion where they were concerned!

[@leatherface4662]

It’s a shame Buckner will be remembered for that error not the excellent ball player that he was.

[@shazam2128]

It is a shame, he was very good! He achieved 2715 hits and was good at first base overall!

[@jamesdepasquale9602]

you're so right...he should be remembered for so much more! Without Buckner, the Red Sox don't get to the World Series in the first place.

[@augustmoon0004]

Bill was a great player and guy. Shame on anyone who was classless enough to bully him! It’s a GAME!!

[@GrumpyGrobbyGamer]

70's players would eat the current crop of divas for lunch. Players were trained to be professional, and they by-God were. Today's players are trained to be highlights and they are good for very little else.

[@Anthony-sn9kl]

Well said

[@111RAMONES]

RIP Buckner! A Great Player!

[@reydl4684]

God bless Bill Buckner

[@albertvaninwegen601]

As I life long Mets fan, since 1968, that moment in game 6 is etched in my memory until the day I die. To this day, I can't believe it happened. Even by NY standards , Bill got treated lousy by Boston fans. That game was always lost by a bad managerial decision. Heck the game would have been over already if Davey Johnson didn't make such a bad managerial decision in the 8th. Any way, no player should be treated the way Bill and his family were. God Speed Bill. Oh and as a Mets fan, thank you!

[@luisponce7994]

You’re right the bad bullpen and the decision of the manager

[@mysticakhenaton1701]

Buckner has MORE career hits than 70% of the players who are in the baseball HOF. what a GREAT player he was.

[@teamjj153]

RIP BILLY BUC, LOVED HIM ON THE 80S CUBS. DAM GOOD PLAYER AND BALL PLAYER, AND MAN!!!!

[@scottgh8285]

22 yr. career. Never struck out more than 39 times in a season. He was a double hitting machine with the Cubs.

[@manofiske3318]

Reggie Jackson and Keith Hernandez were handed contracts that they were almost certainly not going to be able to satisfy (performance-wise)in the last years of Buckner's career that had those offers been given to Buckner instead, would have allowed him to reach the "magic" 3000 hit mark. Boston relegated him to extreme part-time duty eg. occasional pinch-hitting etc. which doomed his assault on 3k hits

[@michaelcasey5155]

Bill Buckner was a great hitter and a class act.

[@claylyons6447]

Buckner was not entirely to blame. The Mets had already tied the game. Sox pitchers choked.

[@89tin]

I never liked the animosity directed towards this man.

[@dmech06]

Same with bartman

[@travismcdonald6576]

89tin Sports fans can be such tacky losers.

[@DrLuke49]

@@travismcdonald6576 indeed with Lakers, Eagles and Detroit fan leading the way

[@daxvolfan]

Didn't know he had to move from Boston because they were picking on his son. That's just sad. I love sports, but we take them way too seriously.

[@peterman7000]

would have been a first ballot HOFer despite those knees.

[@needham849]

So, so good. If all players gave the effort Billy Buck did the game would be great again. I am a life-long Cardinals fan and hated the Cubs but Billy Buckner was my favorite player of that era.

[@TWS-pd5dc]

When he came back to Boston after the Red Sox finally won the world series much was made of the fact that "the fans forgave Buckner". BS. As his wife so eloquently said "It was Bill who had to forgive the fans, not the other way around.". 100% right. RIP Bill. I was a Mets fan but I never, ever thought you blew that game. Cost the Red Sox the series? BS, there was still a game 7. And Boston won game 1 by a ball going through the legs of Tim Teufel. So, stuff happens.

[@DaDitka]

I could NOT agree more. The Boston fans were in the wrong for attacking Buckner and his son. It was Buckner who was in the position to forgive. The fans needed to apologize. Buckner deserved so much better. And guys like Gedman, Schiraldi, and Stanley should be breathing a sigh of relief.

[@viralbuthow000]

Looking at his awesome stats I wonder why Dodgers let him go in the mid 70s.

[@dzanier]

They got Rick Monday and Mike Garman in return, so the Dodgers got good value, but in the end that trade worked out better for the Cubs. The Dodgers liked him, so I can only say it was a deal they made because Monday still had a lot of upside.

[@joeseddit]

@@dzanier Yeah, that’s a good answer to Sky’s question, ‘cuz Buckner was pretty good as a Dodger. I’m not googling the stats before I reply here so I’m going by memory, but I believe Monday was one of four Dodgers to hit over 30 HRs in the same season. I believe the other three were Garvey, Cey, and Reggie Smith. I was a fan of the ‘70s Dodgers-again by memory: 1B -Garvey, 2B-Lopes, 3B- Cey, SS- Russell, C- Yeager and/or Ferguson, LF- Smith (formerly Buckner), CF- Monday (formerly Wynn), RF- Baker (wait, was Baker one of the four to hit over 30 HRs?). And a great pitching staff - Sutton, Rhoden, John, Rau, and Hooten. And I’m not sure if Iron Mike Marshall was the RP during this era- he may have been later. Dodgers always had great pitching throughout history.

[@DaDitka]

​@joeseddit It was Reggie Smith who was the fourth player.

[@svetcovladich9996]

He was traded mainly because of the injuries, so they opted for a healthier Rick Monday in the outfield. He couldn't have played 1B either for LA because they wanted Steve Garvey's power numbers.

[@Kylefassbinderful]

The 2003 Cubs and 1986 Red Sox fans are trash for the way they couldn't get over a loss. Buckner may have found peace in the end but they're still trash. Just as trashy as Yankee fans if not more. RIP Bill Buckner, you were a great player and a great person and you were hilarious on Curb Your Enthusiasm.

[@stevengraham3138]

bill buckner was the best cup for a long time and very good for las angles too alwasy a solid player just had that bad ankel

[@glenncarlson1578]

RIP BB

[@jameslayton2267]

He was a GREAT left fielder for LA

[@allensaunders449]

A shame that over shadow's his career

[@thomasnorman9536]

His wife is nice looking she supported him I like that

[@stvinney]

We're kinda forgetting that Buckner came back to the sox a few years after the series and to my recollection he was warmly greeted So i get confused when that little chapter is left out. It's like everyone in New England had put a target on his back until he came back to Boston to celebrate their world series victory but that wasn't the case. They did a little rewrite Btw i was 10 when that happened. I clearly remember lying in bed and crying myself to sleep that night. But even when it was that fresh in my memory, I don't recall blaming Buckner I DO remember being really angry when McNamara called Stanley in from the bullpen though. He sucked as far as i was concerned. In that era my Dad took me to a lot of games and no one got booed louder than Stanley ***Side note -- Buckner would disagree with Dan Patrick on one thing. Bill said he would've beaten Mookie to first. It would've been close, but he would've. On that, I actually disagree with him. Mookie was like 15 feet from the bag when the ball got to Buckner and was moving at full speed, filled with adrenaline

[@johnkoziol1537]

As a die-hard Boston Red Sox fan who remembers all too well how l had a most sleepless night after that game six was done. It was nice that McNamara wanted to pay tribute to "Billy Buck" by keeping him out there but it DEFINITELY was NOT the wise thing to do!!! Because of this it took 18 more painstaking years until the "Curse of the Bambino" was finally broken. Buckner did play well with Boston He drove in over 100 RBIs three times in his career and twice were with the Red Sox and he only played with them for five seasons. It's nothing short of ABSOLUTElY terrible that his son got bullied because of this incident to where he was forced to move!!! I love rooting for the Boston sports teams with the exception of the New England Patriots (I'm a Dallas Cowboys fan when it comes to football.) but I think that many.of the fans are TOTAL jerks and it still is an all to racist city too and this statement is coming from someone who is caucasian..

[@scott.moresh7]

It's a shame that Buckner is blamed when the Red Sox relief pitchers gave up 3 straight singles to tie the game. Buckner wouldn't have been able to get to first anyways and the closer failed to cover 1st! The real goat of this is Bob Stanley and Calvin Schiraldi! Even if Buckner was fast enough to get to first, the Red Sox probably blow it the next inning too since the closers couldn't get the game shut down.

[@Michael-hv3ts]

Bummer for BB no doubt. Watch the clip and that ball takes a low hop on the bounce due to top spin. Can always be tough at any level. Not saying he shouldn't have made the play. You never hear anyone talk about the wild pitch before to bring in Mitchell. I play adult baseball in a nationwide league and you feel like shit when you misplay a ball in a 45 plus league. Couldn't even imagine how bad he felt on that stage. RIP.

[@paleo704]

All I know is if we had a real First baseman, we win that series. #fbuckner

[@virtuousvoice]

When considering the greater scope of games 6 and 7, Buckner's error was mere insult to injury on the Sox's late inning meltdowns in both games.

[@DrLuke49]

John McNamara wanted Bill Buckner on the field for *"WHEN"* the Red Sox won the World Series over the Mets. Grady Little agreed to leave Pedro Martinez on the mound for *"WHEN"* the Red Sox won the 2003 ALCS over the Yankees. Also the idiot fans holding up the *"BUCKNER WE FORGIVE YOU"* signs at Fenway Park were the tools who needed to be forgiven. **R.I.P. BILL BUCKNER**

[@joecahill1994]

Great point. Buckner didn’t have to apologize for anything, no athlete should ever have to apologize for any error at anytime, it’s a part of the game. But those fans who mocked and ridiculed him should still feel ashamed of themselves

[@freethinkerrr2897]

A lot of Red Sox players deserve blame for losing that 86 series that are not named Bill Buckner. Starting with the manager John McNamara. You have the cocky Oil Can Boyd getting shelled early in that Game 3, the Sox unable to recover, in fact their lineup could only score a feeble 3 little runs in Games 3 and 4 combined at home. Closer Calvin Schiraldi giving up 3 straight hits with 2 outs in that game 6 9th inning. Bob Stanley unable to throw strikes, allowing the tying run to score, the list goes on and on…

[@DaDitka]

Schiraldi is the only pitcher I am aware of who was the losing pitcher in Game 6 and 7 of the same World Series. But no one pays attention to that. I agree. So many other things happened in that game which cost Boston the Series.

[@patrickmoreau7592]

Bill Buckner would of had 3,000 hits and a trip to the HOF

[@patrickdore8636]

Great memoriam. Buck got screwed. One moment.

[@glasshalffull8471]

The series of pitches leading up to it were awful,also the catcher did a "Buckner" just prior to the incident allowing 3rd to get home to equal at 5 a piece.

[@jamesbowman8138]

Buck got 2 hits game 7

[@danwesterberg3956]

shame on you Dan,we all know what happened in 86,and yet you keep going on about it. even in death ,it just wont go away.........

[@danwesterberg3956]

MrBrenman21 sadly yes

[@dociebiemowie915]

agree.. Dan was tasteless and mean here even after the man passed away. This segment is like an adolescent talking about an adult topic.

[@kcthatsawinner]

That was weak. Buckner's teammates included a steroid user (Clemens), and their star player who had an affair (Wade Boggs). And they both won championships for the Yankees. Buckner should've been replaced defensively. Stop lionizing Buckner. It's McNamara's fault that Buckner was still in the game! #Fail #Facts

[@devilzdandruff9199]

Dan.. Good Lord.. first thing you point to when the man passes away is that play? The only player that has more hits than Bill in the 1970s-1980s is Pete Rose. Let that sink in. Nice troll job Dan. Bravo. You’re a glorified hack. “And the ball went through his legs”. Keep repeating that like a recording and then end the segment with “rest in peace”. It would kill you to show some class, I know.

[@dociebiemowie915]

Terrible segment by Dan Patrick. Tasteless reminding of the error like he’s a recording. Terrible job

[@nattyps3160]

Red sox nation were ridiculous pinning this loss on him. He was known for years as " the guy who caused the biggest blunder ever to " ruin " the red sox 68 year curse. It's ridiculous so many things went wrong b4 that play where they were tied after being up 2 runs 2 outs ^ nobody on. Yea it's only 2 runs but the Mets were clinically dead. No person believed they would win that game at that point. I think Davey Johnsons reaction to the 2nd out by Keith was totak frustration as he sorta paced sat on the bench in the dugout banging his back into the wall. Keith going into the locker room cause he couldn't watch the sox dance on their lawn, popped a bud Weiser & watched from the TV in the clubhouse. Kevin Mitchell has denied he was in the locker room not dressed. He was making his plans to fly back to San Diego for that night. He was a pinch hitter so I do wonder if he might have not had his jock on as others has said as he was not in the game until he pinch hit. Anyway here are the succession of things that happened where the red sox lost a game that the board at Shea congratulated him on their first title in 68 years. We heard about the champagne the title t shirts hats & press all in the locker room. So many to blame. Clemens went 7 innings & he was throwing gas. Their was a discrepancy whether clemens asked out or wanted or McNamara just took it out cause of a blister on his finger. Then schiraldi stayed in for 3 innings & gave up 3 base hits in a row leaving the game only up 1 w/ Kevin Mitchell the tying run on 3rd. Stanley comes in & throws a wild pitch giving a gift b/c Mitchell scored tying it. Now mookie went from being up w/ 1 run down & was one strike away from the sox winning. Now w/ it tied all the pressure was off mookie cause now the worst that happens if he makes the 3rd out is extra innings. The best case scenario happened mookie hit a slow roller up along first. This was great b/c Bill was playing pretty deep at first agiant the guy who was one of the fastest in the league. In watching it over & over cause that comeback was biggest in a WS game considering how high the stakes were. The Mets were one strike away from being eliminated. Buckner if he did catch the ball was not beating mookie out so knight would have scored from 2nd to home b/c he had a huge lead from there. Stanley easily could haveproof thrown knight out. Plus more mookie was beating that out once the ball had just past Buckner mookie was flying rounding 2nd to being halfway there. On top of which I'll quote the late great hof catcher in Gary Carter " this was supposedly the biggest blunder that cost them the the game, but that wasn't the series their was still a game 7. That was the series. " also in game 7 Calvin shiraldi I believe gave up 3 runs. So again the sox blew a decent lead late. I don't know how good the sox bullpen was but schiraldi should not have pitched again after Game 6. But I that was their only reliever that was better than others I guess they had to go w/ him. Shiraldi years later , when Carter said in game 6 at his crucial at bat getting the rally going ( remember schiraldi was a met the year before & Carter his catcher. So Gary said he recalled a game he was pitching & Said Calvin was getting hammered by Philly. He said he had the same terrified look on his face in game 6 facing Carter. So of course Calvin said " that's a crock of s%it " then a video of an interview he did post game either against the angels or early on w/ the Mets series he said " I have never been so terrified in my life out there " so I think Carter was correct. McNamara should have pulled him on knowing Carter knew his former battery mate from the year so well. Finally should Buckner had been out there ? I don't know. McNamara says Buckner was a much better 1st baseman than Stapleton but then why it their 7 post series wins Stapleton was out there at 1st for defense only to win. Buckner was a better hitter still I'm sure but that was special replacement guy they had b/c of issues w/ bills ankles. So if it was for compassion u have to put that aside to ensure u win that game.

[@jeffteyrosado9966]

Look buckner was like every average ball player until that error that put him on the wrong side of things Sweet 86