'86ers really appreciate a class gesture
Among the sounds that rippled through Fenway Park just before 7 last night were claps and whistles and other such indications of appreciation and pride, and, so it seemed, no audible dissatisfaction. Such was the greeting as the name ``Mr. Bill Buckner" scrolled across the stadium video board and poured through the Fenway speaker system during a ceremony honoring the 1986 edition of the Red Sox.
``There wasn't one boo. That was great, wasn't it?" said Oil Can Boyd, one of several members of the '86 team on the field before last night's game against the New York Mets. ``That shows the class of the Boston fans, showing him some love. "
``That was just a moment in time," Boyd said of the ball that beat Buckner through the wickets in Game 6 of the '86 World Series. ``People keep reminiscing about that. It doesn't just hurt Buck, it hurts us all. We all lost that game and that Series. For him to be accepted in that way I wish he could be here to see that and hear the applause for him. The Red Sox fans showed it is forgiven and it is forgotten."
Buckner couldn't be here last night because he was in Washington with his son, who is attempting to launch a college or pro baseball career. But several of his former Boston teammates were, and many were grateful for the reception he -- and they -- received.
Not one boo. Could it be?
``There shouldn't be, there shouldn't be," Wade Boggs said. ``There's no reason anybody should boo him. It's nobody's fault.
``I wish he was here. Because we would have never, ever come as close to the World Series without Billy Buckner and the way he performed in '86."
Buckner, in 1986: 153 games, .267 average, 39 doubles, 18 HRs, 102 RBIs. His RBI total ranked 10th in the league. He fanned just 25 times in 629 at-bats, making him baseball's hardest strikeout that year (once every 25.2 at-bats).
``That was really nice," second baseman Marty Barrett said of Buckner's reception. ``I wish he were here to see that. It would have been fun. The fans here know. They got a win in 2004, and all of that was released -- '46, '67, '75, '86, all of those guys feel like there's a weight lifted off their shoulders.
``You know what's interesting, and I never thought about it, somebody told me the other day that all these teams wanted to win it for the fans. But I heard the fans couldn't wait for a team to win it to help all of us who couldn't get it done. I thought that was pretty neat."
Last night, too, was pretty neat. The players who returned all jogged out to their positions of yesteryear. Boggs, per his custom, made his way out to third base and, steps before the bag, picked up two pebbles and tossed them over the base line. Marc Sullivan went behind the plate. Pat Dodson and Dave Stapleton jogged to first. Barrett jogged to second. Spike Owen and Ed Romero ran out to shortstop. Jim Rice went to left field, LaSchelle Tarver to center, and Dwight Evans to right. Mike Stenhouse, who played just 21 games that year, was on hand.
Boyd, Joe Sambito, Steve Crawford, Bruce Hurst, Tim Lollar, Al Nipper, and Calvin Schiraldi all convened on the mound. They eventually were joined by the night's starting pitcher, Jon Lester, who was born in 1984.
Hitting coach Walt Hriniak and bullpen coach Joe Morgan also were present. Once all had been introduced, the current Red Sox ran out to their positions and stood with the class of '86 during a video montage played to Green Day's ``Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)." The national anthem followed.
``It was really a fun time, ownership did a great job," Barrett said. ``This was a culmination of the past two days."
The past two days included dinner Monday night at Locke-Ober and golf yesterday at The International in Bolton.
``It's just been really, really neat," said Barrett, who hadn't been in the park since 1990. ``This is for the great year we had."
