That's Amazin'
June 11, 2012 10:05 PM Subscribe
A group of Kenyan students re-enact Bill Buckner's error leading to the Mets winning run in Game 6 of the 1986 World Series. Here's the original play. Previously
obligatory Curb Your Enthusiasm link
posted by philip-random at 10:17 PM on June 11, 2012 [3 favorites]
posted by philip-random at 10:17 PM on June 11, 2012 [3 favorites]
Think you've got an erroneous link, gilhaynes.
posted by solarion at 10:18 PM on June 11, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by solarion at 10:18 PM on June 11, 2012 [1 favorite]
Damn it. Thanks, solarion. I meant http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-GgbP9C9Zk.
Also, Twitter's very recent #updatedseinfeld had a few references to Keith Hernandez.
So, yeah.
posted by glhaynes at 10:20 PM on June 11, 2012
Also, Twitter's very recent #updatedseinfeld had a few references to Keith Hernandez.
So, yeah.
posted by glhaynes at 10:20 PM on June 11, 2012
The Bill Buckner "redemption" episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm has got to be the series' high point for me. Such an awesome episode.
posted by ShutterBun at 10:33 PM on June 11, 2012
posted by ShutterBun at 10:33 PM on June 11, 2012
Buckner was not the goat of that series. His was the last of series of miscues on the part of Boston. It's bullshit that he has to carry the burden of so many others mistakes.
He was one of the main reasons they were even in the 86 series. It's bullshit that he gets the blame.
posted by Bighappyfunhouse at 10:56 PM on June 11, 2012 [6 favorites]
He was one of the main reasons they were even in the 86 series. It's bullshit that he gets the blame.
posted by Bighappyfunhouse at 10:56 PM on June 11, 2012 [6 favorites]
Man you know you've fucked up bad when your one mistake begins to resound across all cultures, everywhere, forever, becoming a new element of Man's mythic memory
posted by theodolite at 10:57 PM on June 11, 2012 [7 favorites]
posted by theodolite at 10:57 PM on June 11, 2012 [7 favorites]
WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT?!?!?
Love,
Boston
They were going to reenact Game 4 of the '47 series, but all the kids in the school had too much self-respect to play for the Yankees (and unlike the actual Yankees, they couldn't use cash to persuade them).
posted by ThisIsNotMe at 11:03 PM on June 11, 2012 [6 favorites]
Love,
Boston
They were going to reenact Game 4 of the '47 series, but all the kids in the school had too much self-respect to play for the Yankees (and unlike the actual Yankees, they couldn't use cash to persuade them).
posted by ThisIsNotMe at 11:03 PM on June 11, 2012 [6 favorites]
It's bullshit that he gets the blame.
To be fair, a ball rolling about 5 mph that would have been the winning out went straight through his legs.
posted by mrgrimm at 11:12 PM on June 11, 2012 [3 favorites]
To be fair, a ball rolling about 5 mph that would have been the winning out went straight through his legs.
posted by mrgrimm at 11:12 PM on June 11, 2012 [3 favorites]
This can only be interpreted as a stinging critique of Obama's presidency. My friends, Obama has led our country astray. His policies have made things worse. He has let the economic ball go between his legs.
And he's Kenyan.
posted by twoleftfeet at 11:13 PM on June 11, 2012 [3 favorites]
And he's Kenyan.
posted by twoleftfeet at 11:13 PM on June 11, 2012 [3 favorites]
Boston didn't have a chance -- they had more players on their team that'd played on the Cubs than the Mets did, and up til that time (not sure if it's still the case or not) up til that time, no team that had more ex-Cubs players on it had ever won the series. Mike Royko had put together those stats and wrote about it every year, I'm pretty sure that it was still true up to Royko's death, it'd be great if it was still the case, just because.
And yeah, as noted upthread, Buckner was great that year, a big part of how they got there. 'Tis a shame it's hung on him, but it is and always will be.
posted by dancestoblue at 11:16 PM on June 11, 2012 [1 favorite]
And yeah, as noted upthread, Buckner was great that year, a big part of how they got there. 'Tis a shame it's hung on him, but it is and always will be.
posted by dancestoblue at 11:16 PM on June 11, 2012 [1 favorite]
To be fair, a ball rolling about 5 mph that would have been the winning out went straight through his legs.
The game was tied at the time.
posted by one_bean at 11:19 PM on June 11, 2012 [2 favorites]
The game was tied at the time.
posted by one_bean at 11:19 PM on June 11, 2012 [2 favorites]
Huh. Well, this was fun to watch. I live in Kenya and I drive past that field on my way to church on Sunday. For the record, I'm pretty sure there are any Kenyans who know word one about baseball, let alone some epic baseball event as unique as this one. (The spectator sport world here is about 99.5% focused on Euro football, 0.4% on international rugby, and 0.1% other, in my general purview.) That said, the way these mzungu's choreographed the kids to recreate this was pretty impressive, almost as if they had actually watched the video and knew what their roles were. Fun.
Bill Buckner is the only MLB player who I've ever had the pleasure of knowing, in person. He is a good guy, and I speak from experience. Growing up, one of my best friends was John Buckner, his nephew, and so when the Kansas City Royals came to play the Oakland A's in northern California, John and his dad (Mike, Bill's erstwhile brother) would invite me and my dad to drive down from Sacramento to the bay area to see the A's play the Royals. There probably couldn't have been a less exciting or well-attended match-up between MLB teams in the late 80's-early 90's (excepting the '89 season, from the side of the A's, of course), but as a kid who could barely afford to get his hands on baseball cards, actually going to a game was a luxury beyond imagination for me when I first actually had the chance. Let alone sitting 3 rows off the visiting dugout.
Maybe chalk it up to a young baseball fanatic being so excited to meet the one player who had essentially a legacy of shame in the league, but all I can ever remember of Bill was how nice he was, how he would invite us down to the hallway outside the locker room so I could see some of the players walking by, how he would sign balls and cards for me. He even once went over to the A's locker room to get Ricky Henderson to sign a picture for me (I got it that year as a birthday present from my folks, I didn't know at the time). Bill Buckner was the only reason I saw an MLB game before I was 23, when I could first afford to go to one on my own.
I've had pretty close ties (relatively speaking) to the MLB in my days since college - friends who wrote for MLB.com, one friend even who worked in the Yankee's press box, many friends who had corporate tickets that took me along to some great games. I've since sat pretty close to the field on many occasions, but I've never so much as shook the hand of another current MLB player. I have my own opinions on player over-pay and the kind of attitude that results from that kind of thing that I'll reserve for this discussion, but suffice to say I think there's a reason most players are too good to spend a few minutes getting to know their fans. I'm sure not every player is like this and there are stories of great players doing great things that they didn't have to do.
I just wish that more players could be like Bill without having to go through such a humiliating experience as he did. I couldn't think of a guy that I would have wished such a mishap on less. On the other hand, I can think of PLENTY of players I would wish just this kind of thing on.
And it doesn't surprise me in the least the Mets fans still celebrate this minor play to this day, and Boston fans still place such loathing and rue upon it. Hell, I still feel the same sick feeling in my own stomach every damn time I go to Yankee stadium and have to watch that highlight of Jeter flipping that damn ball from right field to the catcher to get Giambi out in October 2011.
posted by allkindsoftime at 11:20 PM on June 11, 2012 [29 favorites]
Bill Buckner is the only MLB player who I've ever had the pleasure of knowing, in person. He is a good guy, and I speak from experience. Growing up, one of my best friends was John Buckner, his nephew, and so when the Kansas City Royals came to play the Oakland A's in northern California, John and his dad (Mike, Bill's erstwhile brother) would invite me and my dad to drive down from Sacramento to the bay area to see the A's play the Royals. There probably couldn't have been a less exciting or well-attended match-up between MLB teams in the late 80's-early 90's (excepting the '89 season, from the side of the A's, of course), but as a kid who could barely afford to get his hands on baseball cards, actually going to a game was a luxury beyond imagination for me when I first actually had the chance. Let alone sitting 3 rows off the visiting dugout.
Maybe chalk it up to a young baseball fanatic being so excited to meet the one player who had essentially a legacy of shame in the league, but all I can ever remember of Bill was how nice he was, how he would invite us down to the hallway outside the locker room so I could see some of the players walking by, how he would sign balls and cards for me. He even once went over to the A's locker room to get Ricky Henderson to sign a picture for me (I got it that year as a birthday present from my folks, I didn't know at the time). Bill Buckner was the only reason I saw an MLB game before I was 23, when I could first afford to go to one on my own.
I've had pretty close ties (relatively speaking) to the MLB in my days since college - friends who wrote for MLB.com, one friend even who worked in the Yankee's press box, many friends who had corporate tickets that took me along to some great games. I've since sat pretty close to the field on many occasions, but I've never so much as shook the hand of another current MLB player. I have my own opinions on player over-pay and the kind of attitude that results from that kind of thing that I'll reserve for this discussion, but suffice to say I think there's a reason most players are too good to spend a few minutes getting to know their fans. I'm sure not every player is like this and there are stories of great players doing great things that they didn't have to do.
I just wish that more players could be like Bill without having to go through such a humiliating experience as he did. I couldn't think of a guy that I would have wished such a mishap on less. On the other hand, I can think of PLENTY of players I would wish just this kind of thing on.
And it doesn't surprise me in the least the Mets fans still celebrate this minor play to this day, and Boston fans still place such loathing and rue upon it. Hell, I still feel the same sick feeling in my own stomach every damn time I go to Yankee stadium and have to watch that highlight of Jeter flipping that damn ball from right field to the catcher to get Giambi out in October 2011.
posted by allkindsoftime at 11:20 PM on June 11, 2012 [29 favorites]
To be fair, a ball rolling about 5 mph that would have been the winning out went straight through his legs.
Calvin Schiraldi give up 3 straight two out singles, Bob Stanley throws a wild pitch but yet Buckner still gets the blame.
Here's the truth. In 1986 season Buckner struck out 25 times in 681 freaking plate appearances, hit 102 RBI's, 39 doubles and 18 home runs.
In the 1986 ALCS, he went three-for-six in the final two games, as the Red Sox came back from the brink of elimination to defeat the California Angels, and win the American League pennant.
Bill Buckner was a great player. The media focused on him - rather than the miscues of the pitchers. Why? It makes better television. It was a good visual. It was repeated over and over. Were his heroics repeated over and over? No just that one freaking play. That's bullshit. This man was a great baseball player.
In many ways he became one of the first national video memes.
posted by Bighappyfunhouse at 11:30 PM on June 11, 2012 [11 favorites]
Calvin Schiraldi give up 3 straight two out singles, Bob Stanley throws a wild pitch but yet Buckner still gets the blame.
Here's the truth. In 1986 season Buckner struck out 25 times in 681 freaking plate appearances, hit 102 RBI's, 39 doubles and 18 home runs.
In the 1986 ALCS, he went three-for-six in the final two games, as the Red Sox came back from the brink of elimination to defeat the California Angels, and win the American League pennant.
Bill Buckner was a great player. The media focused on him - rather than the miscues of the pitchers. Why? It makes better television. It was a good visual. It was repeated over and over. Were his heroics repeated over and over? No just that one freaking play. That's bullshit. This man was a great baseball player.
In many ways he became one of the first national video memes.
posted by Bighappyfunhouse at 11:30 PM on June 11, 2012 [11 favorites]
Has anyone ever noticed that Buckner gets all the attention but none of the actual blame (rightfully so, of course), and that everyone who points out the boot makes extra sure to point out he's not to blame for the Red Sox losing the series?
Not that there's anything wrong with that!
posted by dirigibleman at 12:04 AM on June 12, 2012 [1 favorite]
Not that there's anything wrong with that!
posted by dirigibleman at 12:04 AM on June 12, 2012 [1 favorite]
Holy crap, allkindsoftime, this post seems to hit a pretty narrow sweet spot in your personal Venn diagram. Awesome comment.
posted by Diablevert at 1:19 AM on June 12, 2012 [2 favorites]
posted by Diablevert at 1:19 AM on June 12, 2012 [2 favorites]
Obviously there's a new kind of Missionary position in Kenya: legs slightly bent, arms stretching down, ball rolling on...
posted by chavenet at 2:15 AM on June 12, 2012
posted by chavenet at 2:15 AM on June 12, 2012
Ok, now do Bartman and the '03 Cubs.
posted by R. Schlock at 2:35 AM on June 12, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by R. Schlock at 2:35 AM on June 12, 2012 [1 favorite]
allkindsoftime: For the record, I'm pretty sure there are any Kenyans who know word one about baseball, let alone some epic baseball event as unique as this one. (The spectator sport world here is about 99.5% focused on Euro football, 0.4% on international rugby, and 0.1% other, in my general purview.)
Yeah, I was thinking that too. The video description says "The students were interested in making a movie about a famous American sporting event. After watching both real live clips the students voted on Buckner's error over the Music City Miracle. They loved the experience and want to make a second movie."
So, a US (or Canadian according to youtube?) sports fan is teaching in Kenya and shows the kids some videos and then they re-enact them. Its a fun video, but it does make me think of sports missionaries for some reason. The USA is very isolated in its choice of sports so I guess they need missionaries like this to try and convert new nations ; )
posted by memebake at 4:15 AM on June 12, 2012
Yeah, I was thinking that too. The video description says "The students were interested in making a movie about a famous American sporting event. After watching both real live clips the students voted on Buckner's error over the Music City Miracle. They loved the experience and want to make a second movie."
So, a US (or Canadian according to youtube?) sports fan is teaching in Kenya and shows the kids some videos and then they re-enact them. Its a fun video, but it does make me think of sports missionaries for some reason. The USA is very isolated in its choice of sports so I guess they need missionaries like this to try and convert new nations ; )
posted by memebake at 4:15 AM on June 12, 2012
Never gets old. Dear Universe: constantly make it new, in every language, in every dimension, with every race bearing appendages that can approximate a space that a ball can slip through. Let it be Mookie and Buckner everlasting.
Signed,
a Mets Fan
posted by oneironaut at 4:17 AM on June 12, 2012 [1 favorite]
Signed,
a Mets Fan
posted by oneironaut at 4:17 AM on June 12, 2012 [1 favorite]
Obama is a White Sox fan. This proves the birthers were right all along, he got his evil minions from his home country to mock the Red Sox.
posted by Slap*Happy at 4:20 AM on June 12, 2012
posted by Slap*Happy at 4:20 AM on June 12, 2012
Huh. I was expecting this to be come sort of 419 scambait.
posted by underthehat at 4:52 AM on June 12, 2012
posted by underthehat at 4:52 AM on June 12, 2012
10 year old me still weeps over this...
Seriously, watching this video still makes me feel sick inside. It works on so many levels:
1. After 26 years people still consider this a cardinal error in sports.
2. After 26 years people are experiencing this first and foremost as ther introduction to Baseball.
3. After 26 years the sting is still there.
I'm in the Boston sports fan category where seeing this days after the Heat just crushed the Celtics for the last two games really dampens my spirits and I wonder if the timing is impeccably done to rile up the city (clearly it wasn't - I mean I can think about this rationally, I don't think exogenous has it out for Boston...)...
Anyways, yeah... sadly a faithful reenactment... other than missing the disappointment of the fans...
posted by Nanukthedog at 5:18 AM on June 12, 2012 [1 favorite]
Seriously, watching this video still makes me feel sick inside. It works on so many levels:
1. After 26 years people still consider this a cardinal error in sports.
2. After 26 years people are experiencing this first and foremost as ther introduction to Baseball.
3. After 26 years the sting is still there.
I'm in the Boston sports fan category where seeing this days after the Heat just crushed the Celtics for the last two games really dampens my spirits and I wonder if the timing is impeccably done to rile up the city (clearly it wasn't - I mean I can think about this rationally, I don't think exogenous has it out for Boston...)...
Anyways, yeah... sadly a faithful reenactment... other than missing the disappointment of the fans...
posted by Nanukthedog at 5:18 AM on June 12, 2012 [1 favorite]
Thank you, Internet, for opening a wound I thought I got over. My childhood, once again, pains my present. This video is the worst thing ever on the Internet. We shouldn't even HAVE an Internet if this is what we are going to do with it.
Only one this can get me out of this mood: a link to the Wade Boggs episode of Cheers on YouTube... Son of a IT IS NOT THERE.
posted by andreaazure at 5:41 AM on June 12, 2012
Only one this can get me out of this mood: a link to the Wade Boggs episode of Cheers on YouTube... Son of a IT IS NOT THERE.
posted by andreaazure at 5:41 AM on June 12, 2012
, I don't think exogenous has it out for Boston
I do. The only team I hate more than the Red Sox is the Cubs (see the Bartman doc).
And LeBron singlehandedly wiping the no-longer-parquet floor with the Celtics was AWESOME.
posted by mrgrimm at 5:46 AM on June 12, 2012
I do. The only team I hate more than the Red Sox is the Cubs (see the Bartman doc).
And LeBron singlehandedly wiping the no-longer-parquet floor with the Celtics was AWESOME.
posted by mrgrimm at 5:46 AM on June 12, 2012
McNamara completely choked, as managers often do in the postseason. He should have brought in a defensive replacement for Buckner in the 9th. In fact, he should have pinch hit righthanded Don Baylor, the regular DH who wasn't in the game (no DH in NL parks in the World Series), in the top of the ninth when the red sox had the bases loaded with two outs and the Mets brought in the lefty Orosco to face (lefthanded) Buckner. I remember that chatter on the broadcast and the shots of Baylor standing eagerly in the dugout awaiting the at-bat that never came. When Buckner flew out to center to end the inning I got a sense of foreboding. Those would have been some nice insurance runs. Buckner was hung out to dry by McNamara.
posted by stargell at 6:11 AM on June 12, 2012
posted by stargell at 6:11 AM on June 12, 2012
God, I hated that Mets team. The bad guys won, indeed.
posted by stargell at 6:14 AM on June 12, 2012
posted by stargell at 6:14 AM on June 12, 2012
The Bill Buckner "redemption" episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm has got to be the series' high point for me.
But a tad unrealistic, don't you think? I mean you've got guys on the street in NYC heckling Buckner when in reality they'd be offering to buy him a drink.
posted by TWinbrook8 at 6:23 AM on June 12, 2012
But a tad unrealistic, don't you think? I mean you've got guys on the street in NYC heckling Buckner when in reality they'd be offering to buy him a drink.
posted by TWinbrook8 at 6:23 AM on June 12, 2012
Nanukthedog: "I don't think exogenous has it out for Boston..."
Sorry for stirring up bad feelings. I would, however, admit to some semi-rational hatred for Philadelphia.
allkindsoftime: "For the record, I'm pretty sure there are[n't] any Kenyans who know word one about baseball"
I believe you. Here's an interesting map of the places of birth of MLB players - none from Africa.
posted by exogenous at 6:29 AM on June 12, 2012 [1 favorite]
Sorry for stirring up bad feelings. I would, however, admit to some semi-rational hatred for Philadelphia.
allkindsoftime: "For the record, I'm pretty sure there are[n't] any Kenyans who know word one about baseball"
I believe you. Here's an interesting map of the places of birth of MLB players - none from Africa.
posted by exogenous at 6:29 AM on June 12, 2012 [1 favorite]
Correction, it was the of the 8th when Bucknerflew out. Here's an excellent recap of the entire game, including the numerous puzzling managerial decisions on both sides, written by Peter Gammons the following spring.
posted by stargell at 6:40 AM on June 12, 2012
posted by stargell at 6:40 AM on June 12, 2012
The game was tied at the time.
And Buckner's error allowed the winning run.
This was in Game 6, with the Red Sox leading the series 3-2. They entered the bottom of the 10th with a 2-run lead (which they got in the top of the 10th) and must've thought we're going to win the World Series.
When a team feels that way and then it gets away from them, it's almost always psychologically devastating, and Game 7 is often a formality. They blew it and the team that came back to win an elimination team has no pressure since everyone thought they'd lose. See the 2002 World Series, where the Giants, leading the series 3-2, blew a 5-0 7th-inning lead in Game 6. Or the 2003 NLCS, where the Cubs, leading the series 3-2, blew a 3-0 8th-inning lead in Game 6.
When that ball started rolling towards Buckner, the Red Sox still had the chance to end the inning and win the game. When he missed it, the series was basically over.
--
Steve Bartman didn't cost the Cubs the series; their complete mental breakdown did. They still had a 3-run lead with 2 outs and allowed 8 runs in the inning. Mark Prior threw a wild pitch, Alex Gonzalez misplayed a potential inning-ending double-play ground ball, and so on.
Other than the Rangers in the 2011 World Series, it's rare for a team to blow a lead in Game 6 and come back to win the game, much less the series. And the Rangers still lost Game 6 and the series.
posted by kirkaracha at 7:18 AM on June 12, 2012 [1 favorite]
Wow, mrgrimm. You hate the Red Sox and the Cubs AND you're a Heat fan? That's pretty, uh, special.
posted by maryr at 7:30 AM on June 12, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by maryr at 7:30 AM on June 12, 2012 [1 favorite]
Baader-Meinhof phenomenon
I had to look that one up - it had me wondering, what does the Red Army Faction have to do with the Red Sox? (Other than both being red, of course ...). Anyhow, now I suppose the term "Baader-Meinhof phenomenon" will inexplicably, repeatedly pop up over the next few days....
posted by crazy_yeti at 7:32 AM on June 12, 2012
I had to look that one up - it had me wondering, what does the Red Army Faction have to do with the Red Sox? (Other than both being red, of course ...). Anyhow, now I suppose the term "Baader-Meinhof phenomenon" will inexplicably, repeatedly pop up over the next few days....
posted by crazy_yeti at 7:32 AM on June 12, 2012
It is a curious fact, and one to which no one knows quite how much importance to attach, that something like 85% of all known worlds in the Galaxy, be they primitive or highly advanced, have invented a drink called jynnan tonnyx, or gee-N'N-T'N-ix, or jinond-o-nicks, or any one of a thousand or more variations on the same phonetic theme. The drinks themselves are not the same, and vary between the Sivolvian 'chinanto/mnigs' which is ordinary water served at slightly above room temperature, and the Gagrakackan 'tzjin-anthony-ks' which kill cows at a hundred paces; and in fact the one common factor between all of them, beyond the fact that the names sound the same, is that they were all invented and named before the worlds concerned made contact with any other worlds.
Similarly, although also in a manner that is completely different, nearly every species in the Galaxy has their own version of the Bill Buckner 1986 World Series Error.
posted by TheWhiteSkull at 8:18 AM on June 12, 2012
Similarly, although also in a manner that is completely different, nearly every species in the Galaxy has their own version of the Bill Buckner 1986 World Series Error.
posted by TheWhiteSkull at 8:18 AM on June 12, 2012
April 2008: Bill Buckner's Fenway Park Comeback -- An Emotional Return.
posted by ericb at 10:00 AM on June 12, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by ericb at 10:00 AM on June 12, 2012 [1 favorite]
I live in Kenya and I drive past that field on my way to church on Sunday... Bill Buckner is the only MLB player who I've ever had the pleasure of knowing
This comment ought to be sidebarred.
posted by KokuRyu at 10:06 AM on June 12, 2012
This comment ought to be sidebarred.
posted by KokuRyu at 10:06 AM on June 12, 2012
They were going to reenact Game 4 of the '47 series, but all the kids in the school had too much self-respect to play for the Yankees (and unlike the actual Yankees, they couldn't use cash to persuade them).
UMAD ?
Keep hating on the Yankees. Whatever keeps you going I guess... /pathetic&sad
posted by a3matrix at 11:03 AM on June 12, 2012
UMAD ?
Keep hating on the Yankees. Whatever keeps you going I guess... /pathetic&sad
posted by a3matrix at 11:03 AM on June 12, 2012
I think I saw a young Barack Obama in that video...
posted by Mental Wimp at 11:46 AM on June 13, 2012
posted by Mental Wimp at 11:46 AM on June 13, 2012
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posted by glhaynes at 10:16 PM on June 11, 2012