NationStates Jolt Archive

I'm going with Bill Buckner. For the past twenty years, he has shouldered the blame for the Red Sox losing game 6 of the 1986 World series. He of course was blamed for allowing the winning run to score when he was charged with an error in the bottom of the 10th inning at Shea.

The real blame for the play goes to the bullpen. The pen was given a 2 run lead entering the bottom half of the 10th. They quickly got the first two men out and only needed one more out.

Gary Carter singled to left, then pinch hitter Kevin Mitchell hit a single to CF. Ray Knight was down 0-2 and singled to CF. Carter came around to score and Mitchell went to third. That made it 5-4 Red Sox. Schiraldi got yanked in favor of Bob Stanley.

Stanley was facing the speedy Mookie Wilson. During the lengthy AB, he threw a wild pitcher that went to the backstop. Mitchell came in from 3rd. The score was 5-5 with 2 outs and Knight on 2nd. Stanley and Schiraldi had combined to blow the save.

During the 10th pitch of the AB, Mookie Wilson hit a slow roller to first. Buckner was a notoriously poor fielder who had been pulled late in each of the previous games in favor of defensive substitute Dave Stapelton. The ball went through Buckner's legs. He was charged with an error and Knight scored.

The game ended on that play with the score being 6-5 Mets. The Mets went on to win game 7 and the series.

Since that moment, Bill Buckner has become the goat of Red Sox fans everywhere. The fact is he isn't to blame. For one thing, the bullpen blew the game, not Buckner. With 2 outs and no one on, the lead should've been safe, but Boston's pen couldn't nail it down.

Another key point is that Mookie would've been safe. Look at the picture below or watch a video of the play. Even if Buckner comes up cleanly with the ball, there is no way he runs to first. The ball was hit to a spot that pulled him off the bag. He would've had to toss the ball to the covering pitcher for the 1-3 put out. The picture clearly shows that Stanley wasn't moving quickly enough to cover the bag. Buckner could've done everything right and Mookie Wilson would've been safe.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/d1/Billbuckner.jpg

If there was any error on the play, it was the official scorer's decision to not award Mookie Wilson credit for an infield single.

I'm going with Bill Buckner. For the past twenty years, he has shouldered the blame for the Red Sox losing game 6 of the 1986 World series. He of course was blamed for allowing the winning run to score when he was charged with an error in the bottom of the 10th inning at Shea.

The real blame for the play goes to the bullpen. The pen was given a 2 run lead entering the bottom half of the 10th. They quickly got the first two men out and only needed one more out.

Gary Carter singled to left, then pinch hitter Kevin Mitchell hit a single to CF. Ray Knight was down 0-2 and singled to CF. Carter came around to score and Mitchell went to third. That made it 5-4 Red Sox. Schiraldi got yanked in favor of Bob Stanley.

Stanley was facing the speedy Mookie Wilson. During the lengthy AB, he threw a wild pitcher that went to the backstop. Mitchell came in from 3rd. The score was 5-5 with 2 outs and Knight on 2nd. Stanley and Schiraldi had combined to blow the save.

During the 10th pitch of the AB, Mookie Wilson hit a slow roller to first. Buckner was a notoriously poor fielder who had been pulled late in each of the previous games in favor of defensive substitute Dave Stapelton. The ball went through Buckner's legs. He was charged with an error and Knight scored.

The game ended on that play with the score being 6-5 Mets. The Mets went on to win game 7 and the series.

Since that moment, Bill Buckner has become the goat of Red Sox fans everywhere. The fact is he isn't to blame. For one thing, the bullpen blew the game, not Buckner. With 2 outs and no one on, the lead should've been safe, but Boston's pen couldn't nail it down.

Another key point is that Mookie would've been safe. Look at the picture below or watch a video of the play. Even if Buckner comes up cleanly with the ball, there is no way he runs to first. The ball was hit to a spot that pulled him off the bag. He would've had to toss the ball to the covering pitcher for the 1-3 put out. The picture clearly shows that Stanley wasn't moving quickly enough to cover the bag. Buckner could've done everything right and Mookie Wilson would've been safe.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/d1/Billbuckner.jpg

If there was any error on the play, it was the official scorer's decision to not award Mookie Wilson credit for an infield single.

mitch williams got the short end of it in the world series also.(phillies v toronto?)
he was finished and asked to come out,coach did not pull him and he got beat with a homer in the bottom of the 9th and lost the game/series.
he had to move out of the city due to death threats and vandalism of his home.
i am a huge philadelphia phillies/flyers/eagles fan,but that was plain pathetic to the poor guy.
it takes a team to win and to lose.

http://chicagoist.com/images/2005_08_sports_cubs_goat_curse.jpg

I'd go with the fan who went for the ball at Wrigley Field in October of 2003. Steve Bartman (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Bartman).

Up 3 games to 2, they blow a 3-0 lead to lose game 6 after that happened and then lose game 7 (after being up 5-3)...and fans had the stones to blame it on Bartman. Uh, excuse me, but you're professional baseball players, aren't you? You're up 3-0 and your shortstop boots a grounder? Fuck the Cubs and fuck their fans for jumping all over a guy who was doing what anyone else would have done had they seen a foul ball -- a playoff foul ball -- coming toward them.

I hope the Cubs NEVER even REACH the WS again. They simply don't deserve it.

Gary Anderson

1998, the "perfect" season: in 1998, Anderson signed with the Minnesota Vikings and converted all 35 of his attempted field goals and all 59 extra points in regular season play, becoming the first placekicker to finish the regular season with a 100% success rate on both field goals and extra points, hence the use of the term "perfect season". However, after Anderson made all of his field goal and points after touchdowns during the entire season, he missed a crucial short kick (38 yards) in the 4th quarter against the Atlanta Falcons in the NFC Championship Game

Cost my Vikings their best shot at a Super Bowl in decades. How do you miss a 38 yarder in a dome!?! :mad:

To be fair, Dwayne Rudd gets almost as much blame for totally bungling an interception on Atlanta's subsequent drive, but if Anderson had made the kick, we WOULD have won, while we simply MIGHT have won had Rudd gotten the pick.

http://chicagoist.com/images/2005_08_sports_cubs_goat_curse.jpg

Seconded. :)

Scott Norwood. He missed a 47 yarder--that's not a gimme in the best of situations, and this was to win the Superbowl. It's not like he shanked a chippie or anything.

Scott Norwood. He missed a 47 yarder--that's not a gimme in the best of situations, and this was to win the Superbowl. It's not like he shanked a chippie or anything.

Beat me to it. They even made a movie about a guy trying to kill a thinly disguised Scott Norwood. :D

Beat me to it. They even made a movie about a guy trying to kill a thinly disguised Scott Norwood. :D

That was a great movie. :p

Gary Anderson



Cost my Vikings their best shot at a Super Bowl in decades. How do you miss a 38 yarder in a dome!?! :mad:

Too be fair, Dwayne Rudd gets almost as much blame for totally bungling an interception on Atlanta's subsequent drive, but if Anderson had made the kick, we WOULD have won, while we simply MIGHT have won had Rudd gotten the pick.

So...is it good that Anderson's a scapegoat or not? I'd say he missed a 38-yarder in the conference title game because A) he was human, and B) he'd not had a lot of playoff experience -- in fact, I don't think he'd ever kicked in conference title game.

Beat me to it. They even made a movie about a guy trying to kill a thinly disguised Scott Norwood. :D

"I'm looking for Ray Finkle..."

*shotgun pops out of a hole in the door into Ace's face and is heard cocking*

"...and a new pair of shorts."

I know, wrong film. Still funny, though.

Zola Budd, anyone?

Ben Johnson - as if everyone isn't pumped up on steroids of one form or another.

Mike Tyson - ears are tasty, especially salted

EDIT: Also, any England footballer deemed responsible for England going out of the World Cup

Zola Budd, anyone?

Good call.

"I'm looking for Ray Finkle..."

*shotgun pops out of a hole in the door into Ace's face and is heard cocking*

"...and a new pair of shorts."

I know, wrong film. Still funny, though.

Hey, that's right! Looks like they made at least *two* movies about someone trying to kill Scott Norwood! :p Popular guy, though.

My vote would go to that poor S.O.B. (Steve Bartman) who inadvertantly interfered with that foul ball that Moises Alou was attempting to catch in Game 6 of the 2003 National League Championship Game. The one and only chance the Cubs might have actually had to go to the World Series soon went south after that moment, the Marlins then scored 8 consecutive runs enroute to a 8 - 3 victory, and Bartman himself soon was the object of death threats and became the focal point of all the pent up anger and frustration of 95 years of Cub futility in their search for the next pennant. The following night, the Marlins iced it away with a 9 - 6 win.

Being a Cardinal fan, I kinda saw it as God reasserting the natural state of things and balance of the universe. I just love irony, don't you?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DMDmbmEwfRk

You're wrong. The biggest scapegoat in sports history:

http://imagesource.allposters.com/images/pic/PHOTOFILE/AACW013~Joe-Torre-Studio-Portrait-Photofile-Posters.jpg

Sven-Goran Eriksson only lost one qualifier as England manager, that was against the Mighty Northern Ireland (I was there) yet he was blamed for underform from the england players

any England footballer deemed responsible for England going out of the World Cupthe only one I am aware of is spice -posh- boy

but I dont think it was that bad.
http://storm.prohosting.com/kasei/ore/beckham/beck23.jpg

spice -posh- boy

I thought it was that fat Irish-looking guy who the news said blew ot for the English team last time? :p