The ovation began before he had even let fall the massive American flag from under which he appeared, the cheers and whistles growing louder with every step he strode from the fabled Green Monster towards the mound. Once there it continued for what seemed an eternity, the Fenway Faithful pouring out years of misplaced blame and letting the ghosts of 1986 disappear into the bright blue sky, as the man whom far too many people blamed for that epic collapse received his long overdue absolution. Billy Buckner, the type of player that Sox fans adore for their work ethic and dedication to the game, had long been the symbol of that 1986 team, a scrappy and talented team that let a WS title slip from its grasp so infamously. Having been driven literally and figuratively into hiding by the ignorance and cruelty of so many fans, he made a grand reemergence into the Red Sox community yesterday. And, ironically, while those same ignorant fans might view yesterday as a time of forgiveness, they're not entirely wrong. As much as we were embracing Buckner for bleeding Red Sox for 3+ seasons and for gracefully shouldering that blame for so long, we were really forgiving ourselves, for 22 years of anger and angst that was unfairly leveled on one man. You see Bill Buckner gave us someone to blame for investing ourselves so fully and completely in a team only to watch them break our hearts. Such an emotional event usually leads to lashing out, and we we did, at the most obvious recipient. We couldn't blame ourselves for caring too much, the human reaction is to redirect, not take accountability. We couldn't blame "the team" since that is far too vague for pointed venom. We needed a scapegoat, or at least a symbolic one to make talking about that heartbreak more simple, and so we collectively chose Bill Buckner. I'm not going to rehash the actual collapse and the myriad players and crazy circumstances that resulted in the loss of the 1986 series, if you're here you likely already know. I just want to acknowledge what a pure and beautiful extended moment that must have been for Mr. Buckner, a gentleman and mensch that deserved it long ago. He gave us a tremendous gift by accepting that blame (whether he chose to or not, he did). He graciously gave us 22 years of denial, relief and healing time, and he accepted it without retribution. Finally, after absorbing the love he had lost, he shared a playful moment with his new catcher, Dwight Evans (a teammate on that 1986 team), shaking him off and then throwing a soft curve in for a strike (hey, he's a lefty, think he'd be interested in a relief role?). One final ovation and the welcome back was complete. It was a truly warm one that brought smiles, chills and more than likely a few tears to not just Bill Buckner himself, but to many of those viewing that emotional first pitch. Welcome home Billy Buck, we're sorry, and thank you!
Oh, and I guess we got our 2007 WS rings too...hard to really explain the scene if you didn't see it...of course the 2004 guys got the biggest cheers and having Big Papi come out last to get his with Dirty Water blaring in the background was just perfect. Finally the team made its way back to the Monster to raise the championship banner...Papi and Johnny Pesky pulling the rope together. It was great...and something every Sox fan should see...2004 was cathartic, a release more than a celebration, a mix of sadness, joy and the lifting of the heaviest weight one could feel in the world of sports. Yesterday was just a big old celebration, the recognition of a new era and a chance to enjoy the memories that this Red Sox team has given us in the past 4 years.
As for the game itself, hard to complain. This was Red Sox baseball. A great outing from a starting pitcher and top-notch relief along with patient, disciplined hitting and taking advantage of opportunities by working the count and getting pitches to put in play.
Dice was sharp all game long, but especially early. Had a good heater, throwing some with action (mostly tailing in to righties and away from lefties) which he was spotting on the corners. Eck and the gang were talking about him establishing his fastball and he did that well early for sure. His off speed stuff was effective...he hit some corners on a few sliders and threw enough other junk to keep the hitters off balance while locating the fastball when he needed to. By contrast Kenny Rogers, the wily vet, was off all game. Missing spots and overthrowing it seems, which is not his recipe for success. He did manage to avoid the huge inning but got touched for single runs in the 2nd, 3rd and 4th. Coco hit a sac fly in the 2nd, and Papi came up with the bases loaded. He drilled a pitch out to right that missed clearing the wall by about 8 feet, but Magglio tracked it down and ended the inning. Play of the game for me came in the 3rd...Manny hit a shot to center and mid HR pose realized this one might not get out...so he actually started running...no, I mean it...really running...as fast as he could...I know, I was surprised too, and had to check the replay both times it aired to be sure...I think Remy and Orsillo were doing the same...but after only a split second pause he busted it out of the box. Anyway...had an easy double but decided to go for 3rd...the relay back in was ahead of him but as Manny went into one of his patented head first slides (where it looks more like he's going after a loose basketball than sliding) it was clear the the throw was off-line...it ended up in the Tigers dugout, for a triple, error and in effect an inside-the-park HR...2-0 Sox...Dice cruised through the next couple of innings, his only trouble coming in the 6th, but he was able to get out of a bases loaded jam by getting Guillen to line out to center...he did that by throwing a couple of sliders after being down in the count, both were enticing pitches but crept just enough out of the zone to make then effective...overall he was very strong, and avoided throwing any mistake pitches in big situations. One other note, JD Drew is continuing to hit the ball all over the place...which should come as no surprise since it's an even number year (this is his rep, every other year he's a stud versus a dud...it's insane)...and he's still doing all of the little things right...he made a nice save on a fly to CF that Coco lost in the sun, a hustle play that he's usually good for, which makes it hard to completely hate him even when he's taking called 3rd strikes and sitting on the bench with a pinkie abrasion...still haven't figured this guy out. Anyway...the game ended with Oki coming in and getting Jacque Jones with a nice little change on the inside corner, strike 3, home opener over...I won't call it a perfect game since it's this early and I'd hate to think we've peaked, but it was a great Fenway opener for 2008 and a great day for the Red Sox, past and present, and their fans.
7:05 start tonight, still trying to keep the Tigers caged for this season...GO SAWX!
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