About all the "bandwagon fans" that have joined Red Sox Nation, I think some of you are a little off-base. Granted, I haven't read the entire thread.
I think it started with the new ownership, and new image of the team. Players like Johnny Damon and Kevin Millar came to Boston, and attracted a large female population (see: pink hats). People jumped on the "Idiot" image. Claims that people only became Sox fans when they started winning are not entirely true, as most of this stuff started happening in '03, before the Sox were even in the playoffs. They played .500 ball over the course of a few months and were far from guaranteed a playoff spot. NESN and the new owners really promoted the team though, and yes, making the playoffs and going to Game 7 in the ALCS helped solidify the new fan base, but it wasn't the only reason for their popularity.
Matthias wrote:Although Bill Buckner threw out the first pitch at Fenway today, to which my only reaction is: wow. Just.... wow.
If the '04 and '07 titles never happened, he would've A). never been out there in the first place or B). would've been booed off the field and possibly physically harmed.
Matthias wrote:Although Bill Buckner threw out the first pitch at Fenway today, to which my only reaction is: wow. Just.... wow.
Wow. Seriously?
Yeah, and he got a standing ovation.
Doesn't surprise me. I remember a big "We forgive Buckner" thing going on after 2004, which was complete BS. The guy never deserved all the hate that he got. They owe him an ovation plus.
BronXBombers51 wrote:Doesn't surprise me. I remember a big "We forgive Buckner" thing going on after 2004, which was complete BS. The guy never deserved all the hate that he got. They owe him an ovation plus.
The thing that annoys me about the Buckner thing is that the game was already tied from the wild pitch before the infamous ground ball. Even if he had made the play, there was no guarantee they would win the game, as it would have just gone to the 11th inning. I'm not saying it's not an inexcusable error, considering the game was already tied at that point, the wild pitch with 2 outs that allowed the tying run to score seems like the bigger choke to me.
Old_Style wrote: B). would've been booed off the field and possibly physically harmed.
Not really by now most fans realize that he was not the only person to blame. Calvin Schiraldi and Bob Stanley are as much, if not more, to blame then him. It is not like Bostonians don't forgive, Johnny Pesky is a now a beloved guy, but he was blamed for the 1946 World Series loss.
"I do not think baseball of today is any better than it was 30 years ago... I still think Radbourne is the greatest of the pitchers." John Sullivan 1914-Old athletes never change.
Old_Style wrote: B). would've been booed off the field and possibly physically harmed.
Not really by now most fans realize that he was not the only person to blame. Calvin Schiraldi and Bob Stanley are as much, if not more, to blame then him. It is not like Bostonians don't forgive, Johnny Pesky is a now a beloved guy, but he was blamed for the 1946 World Series loss.
I'm pretty sure most of the bandwagoners there wouldn't know who the heck Bill Buckner was anyways. So you're probably right.
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by teddy ballgame » Mon Apr 07, 2008 7:29 pm 
