• The KillerFrogs

2020 MLB Thread

Amazing Mark Fidrych vs the New York Yankees, June, 1976. While Detroit was already in love with "The Bird", he exploded onto the National scene that night.



Game takes 2 hours, including commercials and post game interviews. Sadly, The Bird tore his rotator cuff early the next year. It wasn't repaired until 1985. He was done.


He was another my dad would tell me about. Found his rookie card years ago and gave it to my dad.
 

Zubaz

Member
When told the ball that went through his wickets in Game 6 auctioned for more than $400k, Billy Buck said, "If I'd have known that I woulda chased after it."
Poor Bill. I'm a Mets fan and even I think he gets a bum rap on that one. The game was tied. Best case, Buckner makes the play and the game continues. More realistic, Mookie beats him anyway and you have Knight at third with 2 outs. More than that, it was only Game 6. All this did was force Game 7.

The goat of that series should be Calvin Schiraldi. He's the one that blew the lead (AND the Game 7 lead that everyone forgets), or even Bob Stanley since he's the one that threw the wild pitch that tied the game. Buckner made a mistake, but he was the scapegoat for a lot of failures.

Glad Buckner got some closure before he passed.
 

ShreveFrog

Full Member
Poor Bill. I'm a Mets fan and even I think he gets a bum rap on that one. The game was tied. Best case, Buckner makes the play and the game continues. More realistic, Mookie beats him anyway and you have Knight at third with 2 outs. More than that, it was only Game 6. All this did was force Game 7.

The goat of that series should be Calvin Schiraldi. He's the one that blew the lead (AND the Game 7 lead that everyone forgets), or even Bob Stanley since he's the one that threw the wild pitch that tied the game. Buckner made a mistake, but he was the scapegoat for a lot of failures.

Glad Buckner got some closure before he passed.

Yes to all that. No way Buckner or Stanley beat Wilson to the bag. Buckner should not have even been on the field, much less playing that far off first. McNamara must take much of the blame.

I met Billy Buck in Boise where he went to live a quiet life in real estate development. He had a secluded place up in the foothills. He gave us Little League coaches a clinic one day on how to teach hitting. Opened my eyes big time and improved my son's bat. He was a good guy.
 

BrewingFrog

Was I supposed to type something here?
I don't remember the name of the player involved, but Peter Gammons related a story about a much-reviled Red Sox player who had given up a hit which lost everything and was blamed solely for the loss of the series.

After the chaos which erupted with Buckner's error and the subsequent choke, this former player remarked to Gammons, "Hey! I'm off the hook!"
 

ShreveFrog

Full Member
OK funny story. I did the news in Boise. Our sports guy is showing high school highlights. Ball rolls through first baseman's legs. Sports guy says, "Oh, he does a Billy Buckner!"
After the show he's going back to his desk. RING RING RING! Picks up the phone. "Yes, this is Jody Buckner, Bill Buckner's wife, and I think what you said on tv was just awful and hurtful and blah blah blah!"
Sports guy says, "Yeah right, you're Bill Buckner's wife. And I'm hangin' with Mariah Carey. Bye." Click.
Well, it was Billy Buck's wife. This was before anyone knew he'd moved to town. He kept pretty quiet.

Jody is/was a nice lady and continued to be a fan of our station. First time I met Bill we were celebrity waiters at some benefit. We also wound up at the same benefit golf scramble. I remember seeing him on the practice tee working through his mechanics much like a ballplayer would.
 

ftwfrog

Active Member
Yes to all that. No way Buckner or Stanley beat Wilson to the bag. Buckner should not have even been on the field, much less playing that far off first. McNamara must take much of the blame.

I met Billy Buck in Boise where he went to live a quiet life in real estate development. He had a secluded place up in the foothills. He gave us Little League coaches a clinic one day on how to teach hitting. Opened my eyes big time and improved my son's bat. He was a good guy.
I met Bill Buckner at a Spring Training game in AZ about 4 years ago. Knowing that he’d probably received thousands of [ Finebaum ]ty comments over his life, I recognized him and said “hey it’s a pleasure to meet you i loved your work on Curb Your Enthusiasm”. He laughed and I could tell he was relieved I wasn’t some drunk asshoe with a [ Finebaum ]ty comment... Just some drunk asshoe.
 

ShreveFrog

Full Member
I watched it. Even though the homerun scenes are hokie. I had forgotten all the stars besides Redford in that movie, but I had not seen it since it came out in the theater ('83?) And whatever they used for Wrigley Field was not very close.

Eight Men Out was a good baseball flick. And 61.
 

Eight

Member
I watched it. Even though the homerun scenes are hokie. I had forgotten all the stars besides Redford in that movie, but I had not seen it since it came out in the theater ('83?) And whatever they used for Wrigley Field was not very close.

Eight Men Out was a good baseball flick. And 61.

saw the movie and then read the book

this is one of those instances for me that the book wasn't better, in fact if i had read the book first i would not have gone to the theater to see the movie
 

MTfrog5

Active Member
saw the movie and then read the book

this is one of those instances for me that the book wasn't better, in fact if i had read the book first i would not have gone to the theater to see the movie
I think they both are overrated. Love Eight Men Out though. Pretty accurate as for as history goes too.
 

Eight

Member
I think they both are overrated. Love Eight Men Out though. Pretty accurate as for as history goes too.

agree, not a huge fan of the overly sappy fictional stories and I really hate when a movie tries to do that with a real story (i.e. remember the titans)

the book was a beating to me and i was okay with the cheese factor of the movie
 

Wexahu

Full Member
agree, not a huge fan of the overly sappy fictional stories and I really hate when a movie tries to do that with a real story (i.e. remember the titans)

the book was a beating to me and i was okay with the cheese factor of the movie

First half of the movie was great IMO. The rest was pretty cheesy.
 
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