Walter Clement Pipp (February 17, 1893 – January 11, 1965) was an American first baseman in Major League Baseball, now best remembered as the man who lost his starting role to Lou Gehrig at the beginning of Gehrig's streak of 2,130 consecutive games.^[1]

Major League career[link]

After playing 12 games with the Detroit Tigers in 1913, Pipp graduated from The Catholic University of America in 1914. The Chicago-born Pipp then joined the New York Yankees for the 1915 season, and would play 136 or more games for them every season until 1925 (except 1918, when his playing was curtailed by injury), hitting .282 with a little power, even after the end of the "dead ball" era. Pipp did lead the American League with 12 home runs in 1916, and again with 9 in 1917. Pipp was the first Yankee to win a home run title. Pipp scouted and asked Miller Huggins to sign young Lou Gehrig from Columbia University, whom Pipp personally helped develop as a young first baseman.

Pipp's removal from the Yankees' starting lineup[link]

On June 2, 1925, Pipp was removed from the Yankees' starting lineup and replaced with Gehrig. While many stories over the years have said Pipp sat out the game due to a headache, others suggest Yankee manager Miller Huggins may have actually benched Pipp and other veterans in order to "shake up" the slumping lineup.^[2] A month later, Pipp received a skull fracture when he was hit by a practice pitch from Charlie Caldwell, an event that had also been mistakenly linked to his initial benching. Pipp was later traded to the Cincinnati Reds before the 1926 season.

Later career[link]

Wally Pipp was sold to the Cincinnati Reds in 1926. He played 372 games for the Reds over the next three seasons before retiring. Pipp played in Old Timers games as a Yankee. He was later hired by Sports Illustrated as one of the magazine's first writers. His 226 sacrifices as a Yankee remain a team record.

Pipp died at age 71 in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He is buried in Woodlawn Cemetery in Grand Rapids.

Career statistics[link]

See also[link]

• List of Major League Baseball players with 100 triples
• List of Major League Baseball home run champions
• List of Major League Baseball triples champions

References[link]

External links[link]

• Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference, or Baseball-Reference (Minors)
• Wally Pipp at The Baseball Biography Project
• Urban legend about Wally Pipp's headache (from Snopes.com)
• Wally Pipp at Find a Grave

Drew Bledsoe

Drew Bledsoe stretching before a game in 2005.
No. 11
Quarterback
Personal information
Date of birth: (1972-02-14) February 14, 1972 (age 40)
Place of birth: Ellensburg, Washington
Height: 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) Weight: 238 lb (108 kg)
Career information
High school: Walla Walla
College: Washington State
NFL Draft: 1993 / Round: 1 / Pick: 1
Debuted in 1993 for the New England Patriots
Last played in 2006 for the Dallas Cowboys
Career history
New England Patriots (1993–2001) Buffalo Bills (2002–2004) Dallas Cowboys (2005– 2006)
Career highlights and awards
4× Pro Bowl selection (1994, 1996, 1997, 2002) 2× All-Pro selection (1994, 1996)[1] Super Bowl champion (XXXVI) 2× AFC Champion (1996, 2001) Second-team All-America (1992) 1992 Pac-10 Offensive Player of the Year New England Patriots Hall of Fame Other Accomplishments
Career NFL statistics as of 2006
TD-INT 251-206 Yards 44,611 QB Rating 77.1 Stats at NFL.com

Drew McQueen Bledsoe (born February 14, 1972)^[2] is a former American football quarterback in the National Football League, best known as the starting quarterback for the New England Patriots from 1993-2001. During the 1990s, he was considered the face of the Patriots franchise. Bledsoe, a Pro Bowler, All-American for the Washington State Cougars and #1 overall draft pick in the 1993 NFL Draft, announced his retirement from the sport on April 11, 2007.^[3]

High school years[link]

Bledsoe attended Walla Walla High School and was a letterman in football and basketball. In football, he was named a first team All-State selection by the Tacoma News Tribune.

College years[link]

Bledsoe only stayed at Washington State for 3 years but still managed to put together a record-setting career. After gaining the starting job in the end of the 1990 season as a true freshman, he quickly became the face of the Cougars offense. In 1992 Bledsoe led his team to a 9-3 record (ranking #17 in the coaches poll and #15 in the AP) and a 31-28 win against the Utah Utes in the Copper Bowl, Bledsoe completed 30-46 passes for 476 yards and 2 TDs in the game. He also established WSU records in single-game passing yards (476), single-season pass completions (241), and single-season passing yards (3,246). He was named the Pac-10 Offensive Player of the Year.

Following an impressive junior year Bledsoe decided to forgo his senior season and enter the 1993 NFL Draft. In the 28 starts of his collegiate career he amassed 7,373 yards, 532 completions and 46 touchdowns.^[4]

NFL career[link]

New England Patriots: 1993–2001[link]

Bledsoe in 2001, during his tenure with the Patriots.

Bledsoe was drafted first overall in the 1993 NFL Draft by the New England Patriots. He started right away for the Patriots in his rookie season, as they improved from two to five wins.

On November 13, 1994, the Patriots had won just three of their first nine games and were losing 20-3 to the Minnesota Vikings at halftime. Bledsoe led a comeback victory in which the Patriots won 26-20 in overtime, as he set single game records in pass completions (45) and attempts (70).^[5] By remaining undefeated throughout the succeeding games, the Patriots earned their first postseason appearance in eight years.^[6] Bledsoe started all 16 games that season and went on to set a NFL record in pass attempts (691), becoming the second NFL quarterback to complete 400 or more passes in a season (400), and led the league in passing yards (4,555).^[7] Due to his performance, Bledsoe was selected to his first Pro Bowl as an alternate.

Following a difficult 1995 season, Bledsoe turned it around in 1996 ranking among the top passers in the league with the help of wide receiver Terry Glenn, thus pushing the Patriots to reach the playoffs again and winning the AFC championship against the Jacksonville Jaguars 20-6. This led to an appearance in Super Bowl XXXI, where they lost to the Green Bay Packers by the score of 35-21. Bledsoe completed 25 of 48 passes for 253 yards, with two touchdowns and four interceptions in the loss. He was also named a starter for the Pro Bowl that season, the second of his career.

During the 1997 season, Bledsoe helped the Patriots win five of their final seven games to once again qualify for the playoffs, the fourth time in eight years as a Patriots starter he would lead the team to a postseason appearance. The Patriots lost in the second round to the Pittsburgh Steelers, however Bledsoe built a career-high 87.7 passer rating, passed for 3706 yards, tossed 28 Touchdowns, and earned his third Pro Bowl invitation.

The following year, he became the first NFL quarterback to complete game-winning touchdown passes in the final 30 seconds of two consecutive games.^[8] In doing so, he propelled New England into the postseason for the third straight year. He completed these come-from-behind efforts while playing with a broken index finger on his throwing hand, an injury that would later sideline him for the postseason.

Bledsoe started the 1999 season very strongly, with 13 touchdowns and only four interceptions as the Patriots held a 6-2 mid-season record. However, Bledsoe subsequently threw only six touchdowns versus 17 interceptions, and the team faltered to an 8-8 record. The slide continued into 2000's 5-11 season. While Bledsoe threw a career low 13 interceptions that year, he was sacked 45 times.

Nonetheless, in March 2001, Bledsoe was signed to a then-record ten-year, $103 million contract.^[9] Bledsoe did not, however, finish his career with the Patriots, nor even see the opening of the new Gillette Stadium. During the second game of the 2001 season, Bledsoe was hit by New York Jets linebacker Mo Lewis and suffered a sheared blood vessel in his chest. Replacing Bledsoe at quarterback, soon-to-be superstar All-Pro quarterback Tom Brady led the Patriots to an eventual Super Bowl championship. Though he never regained his starting role, Bledsoe nevertheless proved integral to his team's playoff run when he replaced a hobbled Brady in the AFC Championship Game against Pittsburgh. Bledsoe, starting from the Steelers 40 yard line, capped a scoring drive with an 11-yard touchdown pass to David Patten to seal a 24-17 victory. In gaining the conference title Bledsoe completed 10 of 21 passes for 102 yards and a touchdown, with no interceptions.^[10]

Appreciative of his lengthy tenure with the team, Patriots fans cheered Bledsoe in each of his three returns to New England as a visiting player.

Bledsoe's #11 jersey was not re-issued until the 2009 season, when Julian Edelman took the number.

On May 16, 2011, Bledsoe was voted by Patriots fans into the Patriots Hall of Fame.^[11] He was formally inducted in a public ceremony outside The Hall at Patriot Place on September 17, 2011. Bledsoe beat former head coach Bill Parcells and defensive lineman Houston Antwine in a fan vote.

Buffalo Bills: 2002–2004[link]

A change of scenery—by way of a trade^[12]—to Bledsoe's former division rival Buffalo seemed to give him a bit of rejuvenation in 2002. He had one of his best seasons ever, passing for 4,359 yards and 24 touchdowns and making his fourth trip to the Pro Bowl. In Week 2 against the Minnesota Vikings, Bledsoe set a team record with 463 yards passing in an overtime win. He continued his strong play in 2003 as the Bills began the year 2-0. However, a flurry of injuries stymied the Bills offense; they failed to score a touchdown in three consecutive games en route to a 6-10 season. In 2004, they fell one game short of making the playoffs; a late season winning streak went for naught when Bledsoe and the Bills performed poorly against the Pittsburgh Steelers backups in the season finale.^[13]

Bledsoe was released by the Bills after the 2004 season to make way for backup quarterback J.P. Losman. It was the second time that his team had let him go for a younger quarterback. When Bledsoe was later signed by the Dallas Cowboys, he expressed bitterness with the Bills for the move, stating "I can't wait to go home and dress my kids in little stars and get rid of the other team's [Buffalo's] stuff."^[14]

Dallas Cowboys: 2005–2006[link]

Bledsoe went on to sign with the Dallas Cowboys, where he was reunited with former coach Bill Parcells. Bledsoe intended on being a long-term solution at quarterback for the Cowboys. Said Bledsoe on the day he signed with Dallas, "Bill [Parcells] wants me here, and being the starter. I anticipate that being the case and not for one year."^[15]

During his tenure with the Cowboys, he threw for over 3,000 yards in a season for the ninth time in his career, tying Warren Moon for fourth in NFL history. That season, Bledsoe led five 4th quarter/OT game-winning drives to keep the Cowboys’ playoff hopes alive until the final day of the season.^[16] Though the team ultimately failed to reach the playoffs, Bledsoe had led them to a 9-7 record, an improvement over the 6-10 mark that Vinny Testaverde had finished with in 2004.

However, in 2006, his final season with the Cowboys, Bledsoe's play became erratic, so much so that six games into the season he was replaced by then-backup and soon to be Pro Bowler Tony Romo. Shortly after the end of the 2006 season, Bledsoe was released by the Cowboys. Unwilling to be relegated to a backup position, Bledsoe announced his retirement from the NFL on April 11, 2007.^[3]

Retirement and legacy[link]

When Bledsoe retired in April 2007, he left fifth in NFL history in pass attempts (6,717) and completions (3,839), seventh in passing yards (44,611), and 13th in touchdown passes (251).

Personal life[link]

Drew and his wife Maura live in Bend, Oregon and have four children: sons Stuart, John and Henry, and daughter Healy. He coaches his sons', Stuart and John's, football team named the Seahawks.^[17]

While playing for the New England Patriots, Drew Bledsoe lived in Medfield, Massachusetts in the house that is currently owned by retired Major League Baseball player Curt Schilling. Right before his departure from the New England Patriots, and the town of Medfield, he donated football cleats to the entire Medfield High School football team.

After his retirement in 2007, Bledsoe founded the Doubleback Winery along with close friend Chris Figgins. The company's grapes are harvested from McQueen Vineyards and Flying B Vineyards, located in and around Walla Walla, Washington. The wine has had success recently, placing 53rd overall in Wine Spectator's Top 100 wines.^[18] His first vintage which was 2007 vintage quickly sold out of its initial 600 cases.^[19]

Bledsoe also has a vested interest in Bledsoe Capital Group, which is committed to facilitating the capitalization, development, and marketing of its diverse holdings and investments.

In his spare time, he also works with many philanthropic organizations.^[17]

Statistics[link]

Career stats[link]

Post-season records and statistics[link]

• 4-3 record in post-season
• 3-3 in the post-season as a starter (3-0 at home)
• 252 passes attempted
• 129 passes completed
• 51.1 Completion Percentage
• 54.9 QB Rating
• 1335 passing yards
• 6 passing touchdowns
• 12 passes intercepted
• 21 passing attempts per interception in the post-season
• 42 passing attempts per TD in the post-season
• 2-0 in AFC Championship games (in last Patriots appearance came off bench for injured Brady to win at Pittsburgh January 2002)
• 1 Super Bowl Championship (2001, New England Patriots)

Accomplishments[link]

• His 4,452 pass attempts in his first eight seasons rank second to Brett Favre whose 4,456 attempts are the most by a quarterback during any eight-year period in NFL history
• He passed for 3,291 yards in 2000, his seventh consecutive season with at least 3,000 yards passing.
• Bledsoe was durable during his career, playing in 126 of his first 132 games since entering the league in 1993, and never missing a start after leaving NE until benched in 2006.
• In 2002, his first season in Buffalo, he set single season records for yards, attempts, completions on an offense that had 7 other franchise records.
• In 1998, he directed the Patriots to the playoffs for the fourth time in six seasons.
• In 1994, he set Patriots franchise single-season passing records for attempts (691), completions (400) and yards passing (4,555; surpassed by Tom Brady in 2007).
• In 1995, he set a franchise record by attempting 179 consecutive passes without an interception (10/23/95 to 11/26/95; since surpassed by Tom Brady).
• At the age of 23, he became the youngest player in NFL history to surpass the 10,000-yard passing plateau when he connected with Ben Coates on a 6-yard completion just before the half vs. the Jets (12/10/95).
• Prior to 1994, the Patriots' single-season record for passing yards was 3,465 yards. Bledsoe eclipsed that mark six consecutive seasons.
• At the age of 22, he became the youngest quarterback in NFL history to play in the Pro Bowl.
• Bledsoe is the only QB in NFL history with 4 seasons of 600+ pass attempts, including 3 straight from 1994–96
• Led 31 career 4th quarter/OT game-winning drives and holds the record for most TD passes in overtime with 4.

While Bledsoe's has thrown for a high number of yards and attempts, a frequent criticism is that they are based on volume (attempts, completions, yards) rather than efficiency (passer rating, TD-to-INT ratio, yards per attempt) proving only that he has thrown a great number of times, not that he has thrown well.^[20] According to Don Banks of Sports Illustrated, Bledsoe's large career totals "reveal more about his longevity than about his excellence".^[21]

Bledsoe ranks fifth all-time in completions (3,839), seventh in passing yards (44,611), and 13th in touchdown passes (251). Bledsoe's career (57.2) completion percentage is lower than all recent Hall of Fame quarterbacks with the exception of John Elway. Bledsoe's NFL career passer rating of (77.1) surpasses nine Hall of Fame Quarterbacks. Bledsoe's 37 regular season 300-yard passing games ranks 9th in league history. He also ranks 6th (with 6) in most career regular season 400-yard passing games by NFL quarterback. He was selected to the Pro Bowl four times (in 1994, 1996, 1997, 2002). Bledsoe will be eligible for the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2011.

See also[link]

• List of NFL Quarterbacks who have passed for 400 or more yards
• List of 300-Yard Passing Games by NFL Quarterbacks
• List of NFL quarterbacks who have posted a perfect passer rating
• List of celebrities who own wineries and vineyards
• Most consecutive starts by a quarterback (NFL)

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official web site
• Drew Bledsoe at ESPN.com
• Drew Bledsoe at Pro-Football-Reference.com
• Humanitarian Bio
• Drew Bledsoe at The Internet Movie Database

Bill Buckner
Bill Buckner at Wrigley Field on June 11, 1981
First baseman
Born: (1949-12-14) December 14, 1949 (age 62) Vallejo, California, U.S.
Batted: Left	Threw: Left
MLB debut
September 21, 1969 for the Los Angeles Dodgers
Last MLB appearance
May 30, 1990 for the Boston Red Sox
Career statistics
Batting average	.289
Hits	2,715
Home runs	174
Runs batted in	1,208
Teams
Los Angeles Dodgers (1969–1976) Chicago Cubs (1977–1984) Boston Red Sox (1984–1987) California Angels (1987–1988) Kansas City Royals (1988–1989) Boston Red Sox (1990)
Career highlights and awards
National League Batting Champion (1980) NL All-Star (1981)

William Joseph "Bill" Buckner (born December 14, 1949) is a former Major League Baseball first baseman. Despite winning a batting crown in 1980, representing the Chicago Cubs at the All-Star Game the following season and accumulating over 2,700 hits in his twenty-year career, he is best remembered for a fielding error during Game 6 of the 1986 World Series against the New York Mets, a play that has since been prominently entrenched into American sports lore.^[1]

Early years[link]

Bill Buckner was born in Vallejo, California and grew up in American Canyon, California.^[2] Buckner graduated from Napa High School in 1968 after playing on the school's baseball and football teams. While playing football, he was a two-time All-State wide receiver Coaches and also achieved All-America honors twice.^[3][4] Buckner was selected by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the second round of the 1968 Major League Baseball Draft. His friend, Bobby Valentine, was the Dodgers' first round pick. Upon signing with the Dodgers, Buckner was assigned to the Ogden Dodgers of the Pioneer Baseball League, where he played for manager Tommy Lasorda. He also briefly attended the University of Southern California and Arizona State University and became a member of the Sigma Chi Fraternity while a farmhand with the Dodgers.

Career[link]

Los Angeles Dodgers[link]

After two minor league seasons, in which he batted .323, Buckner made his major league debut with the Los Angeles Dodgers as a September call-up in 1969 at the age of 19. He appeared in just one game, September 21 against the San Francisco Giants, and popped out to second baseman Ron Hunt pinch hitting for Jim Brewer in the ninth inning.^[5]

Buckner began the 1970 season with the Dodgers, but after batting just .121 with no home runs and no RBIs, he was returned to triple A Spokane. His .335 batting average with the Spokane Indians earned him a second chance, and he returned to the Dodgers when rosters expanded that September. He batted .257 in the months of September and October, with four RBIs and five runs scored.

Buckner earned a starting job with the Dodgers in 1971 as their opening day right fielder. Buckner also played some first base with the Dodgers, making 87 starts at first in 1973, but when Steve Garvey emerged as a Gold Glove first baseman and the National League's Most Valuable Player the following season, he was shifted to left field permanently in 1974. Buckner played a supporting role in a baseball milestone on April 8, 1974. Playing left field, Buckner climbed the fence in an attempt to catch Hank Aaron's 715th home run. In his Dodger career, Buckner batted .289 with 38 home runs and 277 runs batted in in 773 games.

Chicago Cubs[link]

Following the season, Buckner was traded to the Chicago Cubs with Ivan De Jesus and Jeff Albert for Rick Monday and Mike Garman. He'd suffered a staph infection in his ankle in 1976, so the Cubs shifted him to first base, where he remained for the final fourteen years of his career.

Whereas early indications seemed to indicate that the Dodgers got the better end of this deal as Monday was a centerpiece of the Dodgers clubs that went to the 1977 and 1978 World Series, Buckner soon emerged as something of a star for the beleaguered Cubs. Over his career in Chicago, he batted over .300 four times, leading the league in 1980 at .324, and was the Cubs' sole representative at the 1981 Major League Baseball All-Star Game.^[6]

Warren Brusstar who also graduated from Napa High School was a teammate with Buckner for a year and a half while they played for the Cubs.^[7]

On May 17, 1979, in a famous slugfest at Wrigley Field that included three homers by Dave Kingman and two by Mike Schmidt, Buckner went four-for-seven with a grand slam and seven RBIs.^[8] When manager Herman Franks resigned late in the 1979 season, he made some negative comments about several players, including Buckner.^[9]

Boston Red Sox[link]

When former Rookie of the Year candidate Dave Stapleton's career began to sputter, the Boston Red Sox were in the market for a new first baseman, and struck a deal with the Cubs to acquire Buckner for Dennis Eckersley and Mike Brumley on May 25, 1984. The Red Sox were 19–25, and in sixth place in the American League East at the time of the trade, and improved to 67–51 the rest of the way to finish the season in fourth.

Buckner appeared in all 162 games for the Red Sox in 1985, and batted .299 with sixteen home runs and a career high 110 RBIs in the number two spot in Boston's line-up. Buckner was a prototypical contact hitter, and struck out just 36 times in 718 plate appearances to lead the league in that category (he also led the league in most at bats per strike out in 1980, 1982 & 1986, and placed second in 1979, 1981, 1983 & 1987). In 1985, he also set the Major League record for assists by a first baseman in a season with 184. His record stood for almost 25 years; in 2009, the St. Louis Cardinals' Albert Pujols had 185 assists.

In September 1986, Buckner hit .340 with eight home runs and 22 RBIs, while missing just three games in spite of chronic ankle soreness. Stapleton began seeing more playing time as a late inning defensive replacement for Buckner in September and October. Buckner, meanwhile, became the first major league player to wear Nike high-top baseball cleats professionally in an effort to relieve pressure from his ankles.

Buckner drove in over 100 runs for the second season in a row, and was a key member of the team that ran away with the American League East by 5.5 games. He entered Game five of the 1986 American League Championship Series batting just .111 in the ALCS, and was 0-for-three in the game when he singled to start the ninth inning rally, which was capped off by Dave Henderson's famous home run. 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.

1986 World Series[link]

Boston was leading the heavily favored New York Mets three games to two in the 1986 World Series when Game Six of the series went into extra innings. For his part, Buckner was batting just .143 against Mets pitching, and was 0-for-5 in Game 6. When the Sox scored two runs in the top of the tenth, Boston manager John McNamara chose to have Buckner take the field in the bottom of the inning instead of bringing Stapleton in as a defensive replacement for the ailing Buckner as he had in games one, two and five.^[10]

New York came back to tie the game with three straight two-out singles off Calvin Schiraldi and a wild pitch by Bob Stanley. Mookie Wilson fouled off several pitches before hitting a slow roller to Buckner at first base. Aware of Wilson's speed, Buckner tried to rush the play. As a result, the ball rolled beside his glove,^[11] through his legs and into right field, allowing Ray Knight to score the winning run.^[12]

So the winning run is at second base, with two outs, three and two to Mookie Wilson. Little roller up along first... Behind the bag! It gets through Buckner! Here comes Knight and the Mets win it!

—NBC-TV's Vin Scully.

Here's the pitch to Mookie Wilson. Winning run at second. Ground ball to first, it is a run, an error! An error by Buckner! The winning run scores!

—CBS Radio's Jack Buck.

...and a ground ball, trickling, it's a fair ball..gets by Buckner!! Rounding third, Knight! The Mets will win the ball game! The Mets win! They win!...Unbelievable, the Red Sox in stunned disbelief!

—Bob Murphy and Gary Thorne, on WHN.

Boston led Game 7 of the World Series 3–0 heading into the bottom of the sixth inning when New York scored three runs off Bruce Hurst (who had been named World Series Most Valuable Player before the Mets' improbable comeback in Game 6) to tie the game, and score three more off Schiraldi in the seventh to take a 6–3 lead. Buckner was two-for-four in the game, and scored one of two runs the Sox plated in the eighth. However, the comeback fell short, and the Mets won their second World Championship in franchise history.^[13]

Fallout[link]

Regardless of Schiraldi's pitching, Stanley's wild pitch or any of the other perceived shortcomings that led to Boston's loss in the 1986 World Series, Buckner's error epitomized the "Curse of the Bambino" in the minds of Red Sox fans, and he soon became the scapegoat for a frustrated fan base.^[14] Buckner began receiving death threats, and was heckled and booed by his own home fans. The Zakim Bunker Hill Bridge in Boston acquired the nickname "The Bill Buckner Bridge" because cars pass unimpeded through the bridge's Y-shaped "legs."^[15][16] Meanwhile, he was the focal point of derision from the fans of opposing teams on the road — especially when he faced the Mets in Spring training 1987, and the first time he came to bat at Yankee Stadium during the regular season.^[17] The Red Sox released Buckner on July 23, 1987, despite respectable numbers (a .273 batting average, two home runs and 42 RBIs through 95 games).^{[citation needed]}

Career twilight[link]

Upon his release from the Red Sox, Buckner signed with the team he helped defeat in the ALCS the previous October, the California Angels. For the remainder of the 1987 season, Buckner batted .306 and drove in 32 runs in just 57 games.

At 38 years old, Buckner was released by the Angels on May 9, 1988 just before a road trip that would have brought him to New York against the Yankees and Boston. He signed with the Kansas City Royals shortly after his release, and walked into Fenway Park as a player for the opposing team for the first time on July 15. He went one-for-two off Roger Clemens with a walk.^[18]

Forgiveness[link]

Buckner returned to the Red Sox in 1990 as a free agent, and received a standing ovation from the crowd during player introductions at the home opener on April 9.^[19] His return was short lived, as he retired on June 5 with a .186 batting average, one home run and three RBIs.

On April 8, 2008, Buckner threw out the first pitch to former teammate Dwight Evans at the Red Sox home opener as they unfurled their 2007 World Series championship banner. He received a four minute standing ovation from the sell-out crowd. After the game, when asked if he had any second thoughts about appearing at the game, he said, "I really had to forgive, not the fans of Boston, per se, but I would have to say in my heart I had to forgive the media for what they put me and my family through. So, you know, I've done that and I'm over that."^[20]

Career stats[link]

Buckner was a speedy baserunner until his ankle surgeries in 1975 and '76 for a severe ankle sprain and bone chips, respectively. He twice finished in the top-ten in the league in stolen bases (1974 & 1976), and twice led the league in doubles (1981 & 1983). After moving to first base, he played 1,555 regular season games and made only 128 errors in 13,901 chances.

Seasons	Games	AB	PA	Runs	Hits	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	Avg.	OBP	Slg.	Fld%
22	2517	9397	10033	1077	2715	498	49	174	1208	183	450	453	.289	.321	.408	.991

Buckner signing autographs in 2011

Post playing career[link]

After Buckner retired from professional baseball he moved his family to Idaho, where he invested in real estate in the Boise area. One of the housing subdivisions which he developed is named Fenway Park. He lent his name to and was a minority owner of a local car dealership, Bill Buckner Motors in Emmett, which was in business from 2006 to 2008.

On January 4, 2011, Buckner was named the manager of the Brockton Rox of the Can-Am League.^[21][22]

The Rox posted a 51–42 record in 2011, but went on hiatus following the season. In December, Buckner became the hitting instructor for the Boise Hawks for 2012. The Hawks are the Cubs' affiliate in the Short season class A Northwest League.^[23][24]

Buckner was inducted into the Napa High School Hall of fame in 1997 ^[25][26] and the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section^[27] Hall of Fame in 2010.

Personal life[link]

With his wife, Jody, Buckner has two daughters, Brittany & Christen, and a son, Bobby. Bobby is a member of the Texas A&M Corpus Christi Islanders baseball team.^[28] Buckner also has two brothers, Jim & Robert, who played minor league ball but did not make it to the majors.

References in popular culture[link]

Charlie Sheen purchased the "Buckner Ball" at auction in 1992 for $93,000, and it long resided in the collection of songwriter Seth Swirsky, who refers to it as the "Mookie Ball."^[29] The ball was on loan for a time from Swirsky to the Mets to display in their Mets Hall of Fame and Museum, and it was among the most popular artifacts for fans to see. On May 3, 2012, Swirsky sold the ball through Heritage Auctions for $418,250.^[30][31][32]

Buckner and Mookie Wilson have become business partners to some extent, attending autograph shows together and signing copies of a photo of the 1986 play that linked the two players.

Buckner makes a cameo at the beginning of the sports parody film The Comebacks. Coach Lambeau Fields, who was manager of the Red Sox in 1986, asked Buckner for an answer to a crossword puzzle, distracting him from the ball and thus resulting in the error. His famous miscue is also referenced in the film Rounders and Fever Pitch. In Rounders, when Matt Damon's character, Michael McDermott, returns to an underground poker game where he had lost $30,000 at the beginning of the film, in his voice over, McDermott says, "I feel like Buckner walking into Shea."^[33] In Fever Pitch, Jimmy Fallon's character uses Buckner's error as one of the examples of the "Curse of the Bambino" to his new girlfriend (Drew Barrymore), but can't explain it, and can only blurt out the name, "Buckner!" as his friends all moan at the memory. Later, having lost her, he sits alone in his apartment, replaying the error over and over again on his VCR. His friends, worried about him, break into his apartment, and see it, and one yells, referencing the videotape of the game, "I thought you took that away from him!" He takes it out of the VCR, and asks Fallon's character if he has any more videos of Red Sox disasters: "Where's your stash?"

Among the countless other references in pop culture to Buckner's error is the episode Brother's Little Helper of The Simpsons, Bart gives Homer a book called "Chicken Soup for the Loser" that "gave Bill Buckner the courage to open a chain of Laundromats."^[34] On October 23, 2008, during former Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan's testimony in House hearings on the Economic crisis of 2008, Representative John Yarmuth referred to Greenspan as one of "three Bill Buckners."^[35]

Prior to the 2010 FIFA World Cup match between England and the United States, former Liverpool FC star Steve McManaman, part of ESPN's broadcast team, predicted a 3–1 victory for England. Shortly before halftime, England goalkeeper Robert Green mishandled a Clint Dempsey shot and let it into the goal, which tied the score at 1–1. During the halftime break, ESPN analyst Mike Tirico told the studio hosts, "I was just explaining to Steve who Bill Buckner is." The match resulted in a 1-1 draw.

On September 4, 2011, Buckner appeared in an episode of the HBO series Curb Your Enthusiasm. During a local softball championship, Larry David commits a game-losing error similar to Buckner's, causing the losing coach (played by Robert Smigel) to scream "you Bucknered me!" He later meets Buckner at an autograph signing and asks him for advice on how to deal with the repercussions. At the episode's conclusion, Buckner makes a diving catch to save a baby thrown from a burning building.^[36]

See also[link]

	Baseball portal
	Biography portal

• List of major league players with 2,000 hits
• List of Major League Baseball players with 400 doubles
• List of Major League Baseball players with 1000 runs
• List of Major League Baseball players with 1000 RBI
• List of Major League Baseball batting champions
• List of Major League Baseball doubles champions
• List of Major League Baseball leaders in career stolen bases

References[link]

1. ^ Ron Smith, Foreword by Joe Morgan. "The Sporting News Selects Baseball's 25 Greatest Moments, #8 E-3". The Sporting News. http://web.archive.org/web/20070206071453rn_1/archive.sportingnews.com/baseball/25moments/8.html. 
2. ^ James, Marty (May 20, 2010). "AmCan's Buckner to enter Sac-Joaquin Section shrine". Napa Valley Register/American Canyon Eagle (Napa, CA: Lee Enterprises, Inc.). http://napavalleyregister.com/eagle/sports/amcan-s-buckner-to-enter-sac-joaquin-section-shrine/article_cd4e7007-9484-5519-ae6d-310e6ee053d3.html. Retrieved October 5, 2011. 
3. ^ James, Marty (June 13, 2011). "A high-flying Hall of Famer". Napa Valley Register (Napa, CA: Lee Enterprises, Inc.). http://napavalleyregister.com/sports/high-school/a-high-flying-hall-of-famer/article_3e155950-9649-11e0-9cb0-001cc4c03286.html. Retrieved October 5, 2011. 
4. ^ James, Marty (February 3, 2009). "Still talkin’ baseball". Napa Valley Register (Napa, CA: Lee Enterprises, Inc.). http://napavalleyregister.com/sports/still-talkin-baseball/article_ebc5cf78-4532-5a02-ab16-98e9a0475c4e.html. Retrieved October 5, 2011. 
5. ^ "San Francisco Giants 4, Los Angeles Dodgers 3". Baseball-Reference.com. 1969-09-21. http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SFN/SFN196909210.shtml. 
6. ^ "1981 Major League Baseball All-Star Game". Baseball-Reference.com. 1981-08-09. http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/ALS/ALS198108090.shtml. 
7. ^ James, Marty (September 27, 2011). "Brusstar earns Storm’s highest honor". Napa Valley Register (Napa, CA: Lee Enterprises, Inc.). http://napavalleyregister.com/sports/college/brusstar-earns-storm-s-highest-honor/article_280f34a4-e997-11e0-b610-001cc4c002e0.html. Retrieved October 3, 2011. 
8. ^ "Philadelphia Phillies 23, Chicago Cubs 22". Baseball-Reference.com. 1979-05-17. http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/CHN/CHN197905170.shtml. 
9. ^ Sullivan, Paul (1999-05-16). "History Shows Tirades Nothing New Around Wrigley Field". Chicago Tribune. http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1999-05-16/sports/9905160128_1_cubs-history-wrigley-field-herman-franks. 
10. ^ Bill Simmons (2002-10-14). "Buckner Deserves Some Peace". ESPN. http://proxy.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/021016. 
11. ^ Gibney, Alex (director, narrator). Simmons, Bill (producer/creator). Buckner, Bill (himself, commentator). "Catching Hell", 30 for 30 series of documentaries. ESPN, 2011.
12. ^ "1986 World Series, Game six". Baseball-Reference.com. 1986-10-25. http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/NYN/NYN198610250.shtml. 
13. ^ "1986 World Series, Game seven". Baseball-Reference.com. 1986-10-27. http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/NYN/NYN198610270.shtml. 
14. ^ Stan Grossfeld (2003-10-23). "Error doesn't weigh: He's been a Sox scapegoat for 17 years, but Bill Buckner is at peace in Idaho". Boston Globe. http://www.boston.com/sports/baseball/redsox/articles/2003/10/23/error_doesnt_weigh?mode=PF. 
15. ^ Richard Fabrizio (2003-07-27). "Company begins Memorial Bridge assessment soon". Portsmouth Herald. http://www.seacoastonline.com/articles/20030727-NEWS-307279981. Retrieved 2007-02-06. 
16. ^ Rob Pegoraro (2005-07-11). "Fast Forward". The Washington Post. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/discussion/2005/07/06/DI2005070601405.html. Retrieved 2007-02-06. 
17. ^ "Boston Red Sox 6, New York Yankees 2". Baseball-Reference.com. 1987-07-28. http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/NYA/NYA198706280.shtml. 
18. ^ "Boston Red Sox 3, Kansas City Royals 1". Baseball-Reference.com. 1988-07-15. http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/BOS/BOS198807151.shtml. 
19. ^ Ben Houser (2006-10-06). "Buckner: 'I try to look at it in a positive way'". ESPN. http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2615471. 
20. ^ Amalie Benjamin (2008-04-08). "An Emotional Day for Bill Buckner". Boston Globe. http://www.boston.com/sports/baseball/redsox/articles/2008/04/08/an_emotional_day_for_bill_buckner/. 
21. ^ Brockton Rox.com
22. ^ James, Marty (January 6, 2011). "NHS great Buckner back in baseball". Napa Valley Register (Napa, CA: Lee Enterprises, Inc.). http://napavalleyregister.com/sports/nhs-great-buckner-back-in-baseball/article_65187b84-1964-11e0-a87b-001cc4c002e0.html. Retrieved October 3, 2011. 
23. ^ Chicageo Tribune - Cubs officially name Buckner as Boise hitting coach - 2011-12-30
24. ^ The Idaho Statesman - Buckner will serve as Boise Hawks’ hitting coach - 2011-12-31
25. ^ James, Marty (April 9, 2008). "Buckner in Napa High Hall of Fame". Napa Valley Register (Napa, CA: Lee Enterprises, Inc.). http://napavalleyregister.com/sports/buckner-in-napa-high-hall-of-fame/article_fe1f764d-fe6f-5097-8072-6cb3b93ab457.html. Retrieved October 5, 2011. 
26. ^ James, Marty (October 31, 2010). "Napa baseball coach accepts honor for his childhood hero". Napa Valley Register (Napa, CA: Lee Enterprises, Inc.). http://napavalleyregister.com/sports/columnists/marty-james/napa-baseball-coach-accepts-honor-for-his-childhood-hero/article_4c42893a-e4ba-11df-8ae5-001cc4c03286.html. Retrieved October 3, 2011. 
27. ^ James, Marty (April 22, 2010). "Napa High alum Buckner to enter Sac-Joaquin Section shrine". Napa Valley Register (Napa, CA: Lee Enterprises, Inc.). http://napavalleyregister.com/sports/high-school/napa-high-alum-buckner-to-enter-sac-joaquin-section-shrine/article_9af5f2b2-4dd7-11df-922b-001cc4c002e0.html. Retrieved October 3, 2011. 
28. ^ Mike Finger (2006-11-09). "UT sign Bill Buckner's son". http://blogs.chron.com/longhorns/2006/11/longhorns_sign_bill_buckners_s.html. 
29. ^ Steve Zipay (2006-08-16). "The Buckner Ball: After getting by Buckner, it eventually was snared by fan who grew up on LI". Newsday. Archived from the original on 2007-03-13. http://web.archive.org/web/20070313032333/http://www.newsday.com/sports/baseball/mets/ny-sp86mets0816,0,3056207.story. 
30. ^ "Buckner ball sells for $418,250". http://online.wsj.com/article/APde6276ca574448db8c629ce66d943938.html. 
31. ^ "Bill Buckner ball sells for $418,250". http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/7891240/bill-buckner-baseball-game-6-1986-world-series-sells-418250. 
32. ^ ">"Auction record for Buckner Ball". http://sports.ha.com/c/item.zx?saleNo=7051&lotNo=80987. 
33. ^ "Rounders (screenplay)". http://www.script-o-rama.com/movie_scripts/r/rounders-script-transcript-poker-damon.html. Retrieved 2009-06-22. 
34. ^ http://www.snpp.com/episodes/AABF22
35. ^ Greenspan Admits Errors to Hostile House Panel, Wall Street Journal, Oct. 24, 2008 (accessed Oct. 24, 2008)
36. ^ Sepinwall, Alan (September 4, 2011). "Mister Softee: Bill Bucker to the rescue?". hitfix.com. http://www.hitfix.com/blogs/whats-alan-watching/posts/curb-your-enthusiasm-mister-softee-bill-buckner-to-the-rescue. Retrieved September 5, 2011. 

External links[link]

• Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube, or Baseball Almanac, or The Baseball Page.com
• Bill Buckner official website

Preceded by Dave Parker	National League Batting Champion 1980	Succeeded by Bill Madlock
Preceded by Mike Schmidt	National League Player of the Month August 1982	Succeeded by Claudell Washington

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Persondata
Name	Buckner, Bill
Alternative names
Short description	American baseball player and coach
Date of birth	1949-12-14
Place of birth	Vallejo, California
Date of death
Place of death