Former Red Sox First Baseman Bill Buckner Dies At 69
Boston Red Sox first baseman Bill Buckner is shown in March 1986.
AP
hide caption
toggle caption
AP
Being remembered for a mistake is hard. Being the living symbol of 86 years of futility is just about impossible.
But that’s exactly what Bill Buckner was to Boston Red Sox fans for nearly 20 years.
Buckner, an All-Star and Gold Glove baseball player who played in the major leagues for 22 years, died Monday. He was 69.
“After battling the disease of Lewy Body Dementia, Bill Buckner passed away early the morning of May 27th surrounded by his family,” according to a statement from his family shared by the Red Sox. “Bill fought with courage and grit as he did all things in life. Our hearts are broken but we are at peace knowing he is in the arms of his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”
Buckner built up an impressive record as a player, with more than 1,000 runs scored during his career. He was an All-Star in 1981 while playing for the Chicago Cubs. But Buckner found it hard to shake a mistake he made during game six of the 1986 World Series against the New York Mets.
The Sox had a two-run lead, and were one strike away from winning their first World Series championship since 1918. But the Mets clawed back from the brink to tie the game in the 10th inning. With a runner on second base, a base hit would give the Mets the win and force a game seven.
It turns out they only needed the most famous error in baseball history.
YouTube
Mets player Mookie Wilson hit a grounder toward first base — as the announcer called it, “a little roller up along first.” Buckner ran toward the ball, took a wide stance, reached down to scoop it up — and the ball rolled right between his legs.
“It gets through Buckner!” the announcer says, shocked, as a Met crosses home plate. “The Mets win it!”
The error forced a game seven, which the Mets won. And the error turned Bill Buckner into New England’s scapegoat.
“People always ask me what I thought about when I missed the ground ball,” he told NPR in 2011. “My first thought was, ‘Wow, we get to play in the seventh game of the World Series … We’ll get ’em tomorrow.’ “
Buckner played for a few more years, retiring in 1990 and moving his family to Meridian, Idaho — where most people hadn’t heard of him, or his World Series gaffe. It wasn’t until 2004 that Buckner finally found redemption, once the Red Sox finally won their first World Series in 86 years.
Time and winning heal all sports wounds — and the fans and media were no longer so angry at Buckner. When Buckner returned to Fenway Park for the 2008 Red Sox home opener, he was greeted with open arms — and a two-minute ovation.
“It was awesome,” Buckner told NPR. “The real cool thing about it was the fans … were sincere,” he said. “I think they understood all the crap I went through, and they were always good to me.”
Perhaps the fans’ sentiment was best summed up by the the next day’s cover headline in the Boston Herald: “All is Forgiven.”
Bill Buckner, Red Sox Scapegoat Later Embraced By Fans, Dies
Former Boston Red Sox first-baseman Bill Buckner has died at 69. Best known for a fielding error that helped cost Boston the 1986 World Series, Buckner was cheered by Red Sox fans in recent years.
Veteran Tennis Stars Still Prove Le Creme De La Creme In Paris
It’s day two of the French Open. NPR’s Mary Louise Kelly talks to Sports Illustrated executive editor Jon Wertheim about what to expect from tennis’ aging greats and up-and-comers.
What Happens When A World-Class Athlete Decides To Have A Baby
NPR’s Rachel Martin talks to sprinter Allyson Felix, an Olympic champion, about her contract with Nike through her pregnancy and her advocacy for black maternal health care.
Former Green Bay Packers Quarterback Bart Starr Dies At 85
Legendary Bart Starr, who played for the Packers from 1956 to 1971, was the first quarterback to win five NFL championships. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1977.
Stanley Cup Finals Action Begins Monday Night
The Boston Bruins return to the Stanley Cup finals for the first time since 2013, but the wait has been much longer for the St. Louis Blues. They were last in the finals 49 years ago.
Olympic Track Star Rebukes Sponsorship Pay Penalties For Pregnant Athletes
NPR’s Michel Martin speaks with Olympic track runner Alysia Montano about how sport endorsement companies treat maternity leave.
Why Mount Everest’s Death Toll Keeps Climbing
NPR’s Susan Davis talks to Outside magazine editor Grayson Schaffer about the recent deaths of climbers on Mount Everest.
SUSAN DAVIS, HOST:
This year is on track to be one of the deadliest ever on the world’s tallest peak. Ten people have died in the last week or so on Mount Everest, scrambling to reach the summit during a break in the weather. There are reports of a massive traffic jam as climbers waited their chance to stand atop the mountain at just over 29,000 feet. Joining us now on the line is Grayson Schaffer, an editor at large at Outside magazine. Welcome to the program.
GRAYSON SCHAFFER: Thanks for having me.
DAVIS: For those who haven’t seen the images, can you explain what the logjam at the top looks like?
SCHAFFER: Well, you essentially have something that looks like people are waiting in line for concert tickets to a sold-out show, only instead of trying to, you know, get in to see their favorite artist, they’re trying to reach the top of the world and are running into, you know, essentially just traffic. The danger there is that, at that altitude, the body just can’t survive. They’re breathing bottled oxygen. And when that oxygen runs out because you’re waiting in line, you are at much higher risk for developing high-altitude edemas and altitude sickness and dying of those illnesses while you’re still trying to reach the summit.
DAVIS: You’ve been to Everest yourself. Could you describe a bit of what it’s like for a climber to be in the upper reaches of the mountain – the area known as the death zone?
SCHAFFER: I’ve never actually been into the death zone myself, but once you get above about 25,000 feet, your body just can’t metabolize the oxygen. Your muscles start to break down. You start to have fluid that builds up around your lungs and your brain. Your brain starts to swell. You start to lose cognition. Your decision making starts to become slow. And you start to make bad decisions – and all of this is happening in the face of, you know, each person trying to sort of reach their ultimate dream. I mean, the reason that people try to climb Mount Everest is because it grabs a hold of them and they feel like they just have to make the summit. And so you’ll have some people, you know, in distress and not necessarily, you know, getting help from the people who are around them. So it’s this kind of bizarre thing to be surrounded by hundreds of people and yet totally alone at the top of the world.
DAVIS: A Sherpa who has climbed the mountain many times told The New York Times that this spring’s traffic jam was the worst he’s ever seen. Are the Nepalese authorities simply giving out too many permits?
SCHAFFER: Well, one of the issues is that the Chinese side of the mountain – the Tibetan side – now limits their permits. So more and more people are climbing from the Nepalese side. And what we’ve seen in the past is that every year is the worst traffic jam just because there are more and more people who are climbing the mountain. More of those people are trying to summit during the same good summit windows because everybody has the same weather forecasting. And so you’ll have, on any given year, several hundred people trying to pack themselves into the same summit window. And that has created this bizarre phenomenon of blue-sky Everest deaths, where people are trying to reach the top – they have good weather, but the thing that is causing all these fatalities is just the fact that everybody is trying to reach the summit in the same 12-hour weather window.
DAVIS: Tragedies on the mountain are nothing new. One of the most famous we remember is the 1996 tragedy, recounted in Jon Krakauer’s book “Into Thin Air,” where eight people died in a single day on Everest due, at least in part, to a crowd trying to reach the summit. Has nothing changed in the years since?
SCHAFFER: Well, I mean, the only thing that’s changed is that it’s gotten exponentially worse since 1996. In that incident, there was actually a storm that came. And that’s why you had eight people die in that tragedy. Now what we’re seeing and what we will probably see every year forward is eight to 10 people dying just in a routine manner, just because of the sheer number of people trying to fit onto the route.
DAVIS: Grayson Schaffer of Outside magazine, thanks for speaking with us.
SCHAFFER: Thanks for having me.
(SOUNDBITE OF STEVE TIBBETTS’S “CHANDOGRA”)
Copyright © 2019 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by Verb8tm, Inc., an NPR contractor, and produced using a proprietary transcription process developed with NPR. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.
Saturday Sports: Stanley Cup, NBA Playoffs, Minnesota Twins
NPR’s Scott Simon talks with ESPN’s Howard Bryant about the Stanley Cup, the NBA and the Minnesota Twins making history.
SCOTT SIMON, HOST:
Time for sports.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)
SIMON: You got to suffer if you want to sing the blues. And the St. Louis Blues sure have. But after all these years, they’re in the Stanley Cup Finals. Also, who’ll face the fearless Golden State Warriors? And what about the Twins? Howard Bryant of ESPN joins us. Morning, Howard.
HOWARD BRYANT, BYLINE: Good morning, Scott.
SIMON: The Stanley Cup Finals between the Boston Bruins and the St. Louis Blues begin Monday. This is kind of Cinderella versus Godzilla.
BRYANT: (Laughter) In a way, they weren’t that far apart in terms of the regular season – only really a game. But in terms of history, absolutely. The St. Louis Blues have not been to the Stanley Cup since 1970, when they lost to the Boston Bruins – and the famous shot of Bobby Orr leaping through the air, giving the Bruins their first Stanley Cup since 1929, I think. It was just an amazing moment if you’re a Bostonian.
However, this is a – going to be a fun matchup. I really sort of enjoy what the Blues have done. And they – they’re so tough. They were down two games to one against San Jose. And then they just went on a tear. The Bruins are the hottest team in hockey. They’ve won seven straight. So you have this great clash.
And the Blues are just so tough. And they’re tough on the road. They play better on the road than they do at home. And I’m really looking forward to seeing what this matchup brings, especially the two lines – Tarasenko and Schwartz and this – these guys are playing really, really good hockey. I didn’t think they were going to take out the Sharks the way they did.
And on the other hand, of course, the Bruins – that Boston City just keeps winning championships in their top line in there – whether it’s Bergeron or Pastrnak or Marchand. And then, of course, they’ve got the hottest goalie in the world, as well, with Tuukka Rask. So it’s going to be a great matchup.
SIMON: OK. NBA Eastern Conference Final – Game Six tonight between the Toronto Raptors and Milwaukee Bucks.
BRYANT: (Laughter).
SIMON: My bleat of fear the deer may have…
BRYANT: You’re the jinx, Scott Simon.
SIMON: I – exactly.
BRYANT: You’ve ruined it for everybody.
SIMON: So I have a cheer for Toronto, OK? I want – the producer of our show is from Toronto. So I want to give him a good one. Ready for this? Abhor the dinosaur.
BRYANT: (Laughter).
SIMON: What do you think?
BRYANT: I think that’s terrible, Scott. I do.
SIMON: (Laughter).
BRYANT: I think we the north is so much more appropriate and fun. And, you know, when they made this deal last year – because trading DeMar DeRozan was not a popular move, considering that he felt lied to. He had committed to the organization. And then the organization then traded him to to San Antonio for Kawhi Leonard, who just happens to be one of the top three players in the game. It wasn’t a great move considering that you want to show loyalty.
And – but here’s the deal, Kawhi Leonard is that good. He’s been carrying this team. He’s been fantastic. He’s – between he and Kevin Durant – between Durant, Kawhi Leonard and LeBron James, they’re as good as it gets in the game. And when you watch Kawhi play basketball, he has carried this team to a place that they’ve never been. They’ve never been this close to the NBA Finals before.
And Milwaukee, meanwhile, they’ve got to win a basketball game. They’ve been the best team in basketball all season long record-wise. They won 60 games. And now they’re facing it.
Now they’re facing the adversity of having to go to Toronto on the road and winning a game to bring it back for a Game Seven. And at some point in the playoffs, you find out who you are. And the Milwaukee Bucks are going to find out when they get to Toronto.
SIMON: Let’s just note on our way out in just a few seconds, the Minnesota Twins have already hit 100 home runs this season. What are they eating for breakfast?
BRYANT: Spinach, like Popeye.
SIMON: (Laughter).
BRYANT: It’s incredible. I think they’ve got the best record in baseball. You’ve got guys you’ve never heard of – Rosario, Kepler – just hitting the ball out of the ballpark. And we’ll see if they’re built for 162. But right now, it’s the story in baseball. It’s a lot of fun.
SIMON: Howard Bryant, thanks so much.
BRYANT: Thank you.
Copyright © 2019 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by Verb8tm, Inc., an NPR contractor, and produced using a proprietary transcription process developed with NPR. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.
He Could Go ‘All The Way’: Joe Namath Enters His 4th Quarter
Joe Namath speaks at halftime of a New York Jets game in 2018. As quarterback, he led the Jets to a Super Bowl win and Vince Lombardi Trophy in 1969.
Mike Stobe/Getty Images
hide caption
toggle caption
Mike Stobe/Getty Images
Super Bowl III, 1969: The New York Jets were playing the mighty Baltimore Colts. Nobody predicted the Jets would win. Well, except for Jets quarterback Joe Namath, who did more than predict a victory. “I guarantee it,” he said before the game.
Fifty years later, his legacy is still tied up in those three words.
“I think that particular game, even though we’re talking 50 years ago, man, anyone that was around then or checks out the history says, ‘Hey wait, we can do it. You know, we can overcome these odds. I can do this,'” Namath says. “I’m respectful of that because I know, like life, it’s not a one-man show. Life is a team effort. Having failure or having success — if you didn’t have someone to share either one with, or those different emotions we have, where would we be? I like private time, but I don’t want to feel alone.”
Naismith, who turns 76 at the end of the month, writes about the ups and downs of his life in a new book called All the Way: My Life in Four Quarters. In an interview, he talks about the Suzy Kolber incident, football’s health risks and entering his personal fourth quarter in life.
Interview Highlights
On the inebriated 2003 sideline interview where he told ESPN’s Suzy Kolber: “I want to kiss you”
I went through the process many times of reflecting on not just that moment, but how I got there. We drank, I drank, and at that time I was addicted to it. I have to admit that it’s an addiction. I wouldn’t be alive today had that incident not occurred, possibly. But Suzy was a beautiful girl in my eyes, and sometimes when you’re under the influence of alcohol — maybe some other things I’m not sure about — then your inhibitions kind of wan and you say what’s on your mind. …
I can remember driving under the influence of alcohol, and by the grace of God, man, damn good luck, I didn’t hurt somebody. I can remember times I was behind the wheel and I was trying to get between Commercial and Oakland Park Boulevard in Fort Lauderdale — and I was in Miami. They call it a blackout. And here I was driving a car. …
Whenever I found out about [the sideline incident], which wasn’t until the next day, Suzy was the first person that I called and talked with. Boy. And then I went and got help.
On if he would play football knowing what he knows now about concussions and traumatic brain injury
I don’t know. It’s a question that I can’t answer but I’ve been asked … if I had children, and I do have grandchildren, but: “if I had a child that wants to play football, would you let him?” Yeah, I’d let him to some extent. But football definitely is a sport that the body’s not designed for, whether it be your knees, your ankles, your shoulders, your neck, your spine. Not everybody can play football. …
I don’t believe putting limitations on anybody is the right route to take. You could be a ballerina and your feet could be hurting you so many days of the year for the rest of your 30, 40, 50 years, man. You do that much dancing on those feet, and your back, you’re going to come up with something down the road. Do you tell her not to be a ballerina? Do you tell her not to dance because her back is going to be bothering her 20 years from now? If they have a passion, and they’re willing to pay the price to excel and make their dreams come true, it’s — I’d have to be there, man, before I could say, “No, you can’t do that.” I wouldn’t dare say that, and I couldn’t see myself doing that.
On structuring his memoirs in four quarters, like a football game
I remember when I was getting ready to turn 50, a buddy had came up, or was busting my chops. He said, “Man, you going to be 50! You’re old!” And I started thinking, “Damn, old?” I didn’t feel old. And I started to think about my people, and how long my mother was living, and how long my dad lasted, and I decided to make a plan at 50. I plan to live to 100. Now, it might not work. …
Fifty was halftime, man. And you’ve seen — I’ve seen a lot of games won and lost in the third and fourth quarter. I don’t want to go out on a bad note. I want to keep growing, being productive, keep learning and keep loving, man. I want to be a positive dude the rest of the way.
Danny Hajek and Jessica Smith produced and edited this interview for broadcast. Patrick Jarenwattananon adapted it for the Web.