Bill Buckner - Double Curse?

[elicoleman]

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2...t&lid=tab1pos1





That's right: What Hintz spotted -- and what Uni Watch and countless other researchers had missed over the years -- was that Bill Buckner was wearing a Chicago Cubs batting glove under his first baseman's mitt. (And no, that's not a Photoshop job -- it's the real deal.)

The poor Red Sox. It's bad enough they were saddled with one curse; they didn't know they were actually fighting two of them. No wonder Buckner missed that ball. He never had a chance.

And it gets better. An examination of Buckner's at-bats from that game shows that he was wearing dark Franklin gloves while hitting. So apparently he went out of his way to wear the white Cubs-branded glove in the field.

Sharp-memoried fans will recall that Buckner had previously played for the Cubs, but he had been traded to the Red Sox in May 1984. Why would he still be wearing Cubs gear more than two years later? More importantly, why would he tempt fate by commingling baseball's two most famously star-crossed franchises? It's like being inside a house made of kerosene-soaked newspaper and then saying, "Hmmm, it's a little dark in here. Lemme just light this match …"

[Stu]

Re: Bill Buckner - Double Curse?

Too bad there was no curse in 1986. Dan Shaughnessy created the idea about 5 years later. Not to mention the Red Sox have since won a World Series after the greatest comeback in sports history in the ALCS. Why are people still wiritng about this?

[SPTO]

Re: Bill Buckner - Double Curse?

Wow that's some crazy stuff.

BTW I doubt curses are invoked just moments after the event. It takes a few years before one can finger an incident and call it a curse.

Strangely enough the Cubs have had that goat curse then in '69 when they were leading the division over the Mets a black cat walked onto the field and the Cubs promptly choked the division away to the Mets for the remainder of the season.

[maidenvoyage]

Re: Bill Buckner - Double Curse?

Too bad there was no curse in 1986. Dan Shaughnessy created the idea about 5 years later. Not to mention the Red Sox have since won a World Series after the greatest comeback in sports history in the ALCS. Why are people still wiritng about this?

Geez, seems someone touched a nerve here. I've never read Mr. Shaughnessy's book, but I'm pretty sure he's speaking of the timeframe between 1920 (the year of the trade) and 1990 (the year of the book) as the "cursed years". According to my calendar, 1986 falls right into that timeframe. I'd even guess that Bill Buckner plays a prominent role in the book.

[teebone]

Re: Bill Buckner - Double Curse?

Wouldnt it enrich the story if you were to add that he had this glove fed exed from Leon Durham the day of the game?

Camulous, just because there was a no name for it doesnt mean it did not exist...if that was the case there would have been no reason for the Sox to not win prior to Shaughnessys book since the name didnt exist yet when in fact the name is a description of what had happened since trading Ruth prior to that point as much as anything.

SPTO-- The Cubs were choking away the lead prior to the cat walking on the field. I think when the cat walked on the field the lead was less than two games when a couple of weeks before it was 8 or so games. The black cat theory would make more sense if it happened prior to their free-fall began.

Its funny how no one ever mentions the college of coaches curse.

[Stu]

Re: Bill Buckner - Double Curse?

Geez, seems someone touched a nerve here. I've never read Mr. Shaughnessy's book, but I'm pretty sure he's speaking of the timeframe between 1920 (the year of the trade) and 1990 (the year of the book) as the "cursed years". According to my calendar, 1986 falls right into that timeframe. I'd even guess that Bill Buckner plays a prominent role in the book.

Not a nerve, I just find the whole thing stupid. The idea that a team can be cursed is about the dumbest thing I've ever heard. In this case it was made up by a guy trying to sell copies of his book.

My point was, nobody even talked about the "curse" until Shaugnessy wrote the book in 1990. So why is the writer talking about Buckner wearing a Cubs batting glove when that's not something Buckner or anybody else would have even thought about in 1986.

[teebone]

Re: Bill Buckner - Double Curse?

Not a nerve, I just find the whole thing stupid. The idea that a team can be cursed is about the dumbest thing I've ever heard. In this case it was made up by a guy trying to sell copies of his book.

My point was, nobody even talked about the "curse" until Shaugnessy wrote the book in 1990. So why is the writer talking about Buckner wearing a Cubs batting glove when that's not something Buckner or anybody else would have even thought about in 1986.

Likewise for the Cubs. No one I know (and I live in Chicago) believes in the billy goat curse...thats just something mediatypes like to talk about. Think about how ridiculous it is to be cursed because of not allowing a billy goat into a ballpark...even if it was allowed in before. And the black cat thing happened when the Cubs were already in a free-fall, not before.

[nyisles16]

Re: Bill Buckner - Double Curse?

i dont remember the name of the book, but a few years ago, some author wrote to several players about certain games they were in & such.. one of those was '86 RS backup 1b Dave Stapleton.. apparently he would come in as a late inning defensive replacement fo Billy, but not in Game 6.. Dave's letter that was published in the book basically went off on Billy & the mgr of the Sox that year, saying that the manager wanted "his guys" on the field when they won the game...

[teebone]

Re: Bill Buckner - Double Curse?

i dont remember the name of the book, but a few years ago, some author wrote to several players about certain games they were in & such.. one of those was '86 RS backup 1b Dave Stapleton.. apparently he would come in as a late inning defensive replacement fo Billy, but not in Game 6.. Dave's letter that was published in the book basically went off on Billy & the mgr of the Sox that year, saying that the manager wanted "his guys" on the field when they won the game...

Have you seen that Battlelines that ESPN did on this? It was some quality stuff. They didnt shy away from pointing the finger at McNamara and letting him respond. McNamara also says that Roger asked out of game 7 which Clemens disputes. Yeah, McNamaras fingerprints appear to be all over this.

[nyisles16]

Re: Bill Buckner - Double Curse?

Have you seen that Battlelines that ESPN did on this? It was some quality stuff. They didnt shy away from pointing the finger at McNamara and letting him respond. McNamara also says that Roger asked out of game 7 which Clemens disputes. Yeah, McNamaras fingerprints appear to be all over this.

yeah - i have heard about the Clemens thing.. i heard he basically said something like "we have enough runs, i'm done" or something like that..
still.. cant blame Billy for all that went wrong.. Gedman & Stanley (& ironically former Met Calvin Schiraldi) are also to blame

[maidenvoyage]

Re: Bill Buckner - Double Curse?

Not a nerve, I just find the whole thing stupid. The idea that a team can be cursed is about the dumbest thing I've ever heard. In this case it was made up by a guy trying to sell copies of his book.

My point was, nobody even talked about the "curse" until Shaugnessy wrote the book in 1990. So why is the writer talking about Buckner wearing a Cubs batting glove when that's not something Buckner or anybody else would have even thought about in 1986.

Fair enough. I think these "curses" just add to the folklore of the game. Fun for some. Annoying for others.

The ex-Cub factor is often talked about in Chicago when the playoffs begin. I guess the funny thing about this pic is that Buckner is taking the ex-Cub factor to a new level. I've never seen a player where equipment for an opposing team before. Even if the team's are in opposite leagues. Not saying it doesn't happen, but it is kind of odd.