ESPN: Bill Buckner- Behind The Bag

Source:SB Nation- talking about Red Sox 1B Bill Buckner.

Source:The Daily Post 

“You’re probably familiar with the moment where Mookie Wilson’s grounder goes through Bill Buckner’s legs in the 1986 World Series. But do you know about everything that got us to that moment, including a rogue parachuter, a freak spring training injury that almost blinded Wilson, the heroics of Dave Henderson, a Red Sox-Mets trade, and a whole lot more?

Written, produced, and edited by Ryan Simmons

Shot by Mike Imhoff.” 

From SB Nation 

1986 Red Sox 1B Bill Buckner being interviewed by ESPN's Behind The Bag series about game 6 of the 1986 World Series against the Mets and his role in that game.

Source:ESPN- interviewing Red Sox 1B Bill Buckner.

The 1986 MLB World Series is one of the greatest World Series of all-time. Not because of the Bill Buckner error at first base in Game 6. But because it was a matchup of two great teams, the two best teams in baseball in 1986. Who played about as well as they possibly could.

This was a World Series with 3-4 great games, where both teams had opportunities to win each of these games, with a few blowouts mixed in.

You could make a very good case that the Boston Red Sox should’ve won both Games 6 and 7, they had leads late in both games and didn’t finish the job.

Yes first baseman Bill Buckner made a big error late in that game. But what you gotta remember about that error is the ground ball going through his legs that led to Ray Knight scoring the winning run, was that the game was tied at that point. It’s not like Buckner blew the lead for the Red Sox in that game.

The Red Sox had a two run lead going into the bottom of the 10th Inning. It’s the bullpen that blew the two run lead in that inning. And they gave up all the hits and runs, after already having two outs in that inning. Including the tying run coming off of a wild pitch from reliever Bob Stanley. This is something that Red Sox fans even though they watched this game, have just recently figured out.

I’m not making excuses for Bill Buckner, who was an accomplished first baseman. Who was more than capable of making that ground ball even with the bad feet he managed to put himself in position to make that play. He got to the ball and got his glove down in time. But misplayed it, tried to pick it up before the ball got to his glove and as a result the ball went right through his legs.

I’m just saying that to put all of the blame on Buckner for the Red Sox losing the 1986 World Series, is unfair and borderline nasty by people who were so frustrated about losing a World Series that they should’ve won actually.

The Red Sox outplayed the Mets, especially in Game 6 and 7, as well as winning the first two games at Shea Stadium. Before you put the blame on Buckner, you should look at all of those runners that the Red Sox offense left on base in that World Series.

 Especially all of the runners the Red Sox left in scoring position and the Red Sox bullpen for blowing those leads. 

Even with the two bad feet that Bill Buckner was playing on, including I believe a broken ankle and yet he was their full-time first baseman.

Even with the broken foot, the Red Sox don’t beat the Anaheim Angels in the American League Championship, a team that might have of been better than the Red Sox on paper without Buckner.

The Angels were up 3-1 in that series over the Red Sox and the Red Sox don’t get to that World Series either, they wouldn’t of been good enough to without Bill Buckner. So what the Buckner Family has been put through as a result, has been really unfair and there are Red Sox fans who should be ashamed of themselves.  

HBO Films: Alec Baldwin: The Lost Ballparks of Major League Baseball

Source:The Daily Post

As someone who loves baseball especially Major League Baseball, I have a collection of books about it's history because it's such a great game that I love. And has such a great history which to me at least is more interesting than the game today. I feel the same way about the National Football League. I'm into MLB history so much that I have at least three books that are about the old ballparks of MLB. 

And in these books you see photos of pass ballparks of MLB. Like the old Yankee Stadium, the old Oakland Coliseum before the Raiders moved back into it. You move the seats forward in the foul territory of the Coliseum and you are talking about a perfect ballpark, as long as you only play baseball in it. It has like a mile of foul territory in it, so dugout seats at the Coliseum or home plate seats actually weren't that great because you were so far back. 

The old Candlestick Park in San Francisco, that didn't have the upper deck in the outfield, that was put in for the 49ers was a beautiful ballpark. Tiger Stadium in Detroit that was great for both pitchers and batters, depending on where the batter hit the ball. Was also a great ballpark. Baltimore Memorial Stadium one of my favorites as an Orioles fan, but also because I love watching games there, another great ballpark, where the fans were on top of the action. High walls in right and left field so fans there were looking down at the action.

What was great about the old ballparks, unlike the 1970s and 80s with the cookie cutter stadiums that were designed for both football and baseball, was that the old parks were built and designed for baseball. So the fans were on top of the action and had a great view of the game. And in a lot of cases there were no upper decks in the outfield. So you could see a lot of the city that the park was located in. Crosley Field in Cincinnati was a perfect example of that. 

So the architecture of these ballparks was a lot better. You just didn't have great seats and that meant in basically every part of the park, but you had a great view of the rest of the park and part of the city the park was located in. Unlike some of the cookie cutters like in Pittsburgh, Philadelphia and other places, where the only view of the park you had, except for the game, was the rest of the stadium depending on where you sat. So if you had upper deck home plate seats, what you saw from there was the upper deck in the outfield.

One of the great things about Major League Baseball is that in the last twenty years, the league has moved away from the cookie cutter multipurpose stadiums. And back to having ballparks just for baseball and other entertainment events, but just the baseball team would play there. Instead of sharing a stadium with a football team, where the stadium is too big for baseball and in some cases too small for football. 

FOX Sports: 'Crowd Goes Wild- Dead Spin: Is Hall of Fame Vote a Good Thing?'

Source:FOX Sports- talking about the 2014 MLB Hall of Fame class.

Source:The New Democrat

"Crowd Goes Wild on this year's baseball HOF inductions and near misses."

From FOX Sports

I have no issues with Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine going into the Hall of Fame today. No doubt they are two of the best pitchers of their generation. Frank Thomas a great hitter, but a below average first baseman and a long-term designated hitter. 

But my main problem with the 2014 Hall of Fame Class were the great players who still haven’t made it. Especially former Detroit Tigers great pitcher Jack Morris the all-time winningest pitcher of the 1980s and one of the best big game pitchers of all-time. And Mike Piazza the greatest hitting catcher of all-time. Who should’ve been a first ballot Hall of Famer.

ESPN: This Week In Baseball (7-18-1978)

Source:ESPN- New York Yankees announcer Phil Rizzuto.

Source:The Daily Post 

“1978-07-18 This Week in Baseball”

From Classic MLB

I think this is a photo from a Boston Red Sox game at Fenway Park in 1978. But I don't know for sure. The video that this photo is from, is not currently available online right now.

Source:MLB Productions- I think this at Fenway Park.

There were a lot of interesting stories about the 1978 MLB season. The World Series was a great one with the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees. The two league championship series were good as well. With the Dodgers having to beat the Philadelphia Phillies and the Yankees having to beat the Kansas City Royals just to get to the MLB World Series. 

In 1978, here were new divisional contenders, like the San Francisco Giants in the NL West, the Milwaukee Brewers in the AL East, the Anaheim Angels in the AL West. There was Pete Rose’s 44 game hitting streak, the longest streak of games with at least one hit since Joe DiMaggio in 1941. And of course the never-ending Yankees soap opera involving George Steinbrenner and whoever he saw as a rival to his absolute power in New York. In the late 1970s and 1980s that of course was manager Billy Martin. 

There was a lot going on in 1978 making TWIB a very interesting show. Especially with Mell Allen as the host.

MLB: MLB 1979- This Week in Baseball

Source:MLB- The Mystery Man from one of the commercials.

Source:The Daily Post

“1979 08 07 This Week in Baseball” 

From MLB 

Montreal Expos catcher Gary Carter being interviewed for one the segments from This Week in Baseball, during this August, 1979 episode of that series. A real exciting interview with too much information. He gave away the whole store when he said that if the Expos continue to play well and stay healthy, they could win the NL East. I almost threw up my lunch when I heard that. LOL

Source:MLB- Montreal Expos catcher Gary Carter.

1979, is still one of the best seasons in Major League Baseball and another example of why MLB should’ve went with the wildcard playoff format much earlier than they did, which was 1995. You had three teams that won 90 or more games in the AL East alone. 

The Orioles, Red Sox and Milwaukee Brewers. The Yankees, won 89 games, but had a better record than the Anaheim Angels, that won the AL West. But because of no wildcard and that only division winners qualified for the playoffs, the Yankees didn’t qualify. The Orioles, were the only team in the AL East that made the playoffs in 79. Even though four AL East teams won 89 or more games.

In the AL West, the Angels won the division with 88 win. Their first division championship ever. And two clubs in the Kansas City Royals and Texas Rangers that battled them for that division. 

The NL East, you have a very good divisional race as well. With Pirates winning that division, who won several division championships in the 1970s and won two MLB World Series as well. The Montreal Expos, who up until the late 70s, were consistent losers, made a strong run at the NL East, but finished three games back of the Pirates. The Expos, were actually very good in the late 1970s and early 80s and even the early and mid 1990s. But only made the NL Playoffs once in this whole period, because they only won one division championship.

The NL West, only two teams with winning records, but two good teams in the Reds and Houston Astros. The Reds winning that division with 91 wins, with the Astros finishing a couple of games back. In 1979, you had three great division races. 

The AL West, NL East and NL West and even though the Orioles won the AL East by seven games, they also won 102 games that year. And we’re in a division with two other clubs that were good enough to be very good playoff teams, that won 90 or more games as well. And the Yankees, again if they were in the AL West, would’ve won that division. 

MLB, was behind the times back then and should’ve expanded their playoff format much sooner than they did.