This weekend, Mississippi State hosts an NCAA baseball regional, welcoming teams from Southern University, Central Michigan and Miami to its spectacular ballpark, Dudy Noble Field.
During the course of the double-elimination tournament that could stretch into Monday evening, there will be dozens of names that will leap into prominence.
But before the first pitch is thrown, it’s another name that fans should keep in the back of their minds, just in case the weekend doesn’t play out as expected: Bill Buckner.
Even the casual baseball fan knows the name. And all who know it, know why they remember it.
Buckner died Sunday at age 69, and in many respects, he is now in death what he was since late in the evening of Oct. 25, 1986 — a tragic, misunderstood and badly maligned figure in baseball lore.
During his 22-year major-league career, Bill Buckner earned the reputation as a tough, reliable player. He amassed more than 2,700 hits and won the 1980 National League batting title.
A player’s defensive stats are rarely referenced. They are in Buckner’s case, for obvious reasons. In 16,651 chances, Buckner had a .991 fielding percentage, with just 149 errors.
But just as one pitch defined Ralph Branca and one base-running blunder defined Fred Merkle, one error defined Buckner.
Obituaries in the Boston Globe, Boston Herald and New York Times all mentioned the error in the 10th inning of Game 6 of the 1986 World Series.
As errors go, it was a doozy — a slow roller that went right through Buckner’s legs at first base, the kind of play that is considered a routine play for even a Little Leaguer. To the horror of the boisterous home crowd in Boston, the error allowed the Mets’ Ray Knight to score the game-winning run and tie the series. Two days later, the Mets beat the Red Sox, further prolonging what was then a 68-year world championship drought.
Instantly, Buckner’s name was the most reviled in New England. It took years for the hard feelings to subside. In 1990, the Red Sox “forgave” Buckner in a special ceremony before a game.
Buckner was haunted by that single miserable moment for years, but eventually found peace with his inglorious contribution to baseball lore. In 2011, Buckner made an appearance on the sitcom “Curb Your Enthusiasm.” In it, Buckner catches a baby that has been tossed from an apartment window during a fire. Comic redemption.
But the fact remains: Baseball fans did a tremendous disservice to a fine man, a wonderful player and a great teammate.
That he should be remembered for one play out of tens of thousands and that he alone should bear the blame for the outcome of that game is unfair. There were at least a half-dozen plays in the game that could have altered the outcome. Buckner’s was merely the last and most surprising.
What does this have to do with what’s happening in Starkville, though?
On May 18, MSU needed a win over lowly South Carolina to claim the SEC West title outright. But when the Bulldogs fell behind, 4-1, in the fifth inning, MSU called on senior Jared Liebelt, who had emerged as the Bulldogs’ most reliable reliever during the season.
Much to MSU’s dismay, Liebelt gave up four runs and recorded only four outs. The Bulldogs lost, 10-8, and MSU had to share the SEC West title with Arkansas.
Jared’s parents and grandparents made the trip down from Illinois to watch the series. By the end of the game, Tim Liebelt, Jared’s dad had “unfollowed” 15 people on Twitter, so harsh was the criticism leveled against his son. It was not the Bulldogs’ finest hour – on the field or in the stands, as it turned out.
Now, as MSU gets ready for postseason play, it’s hard to imagine why losing the last game of the regular season evoked such an outburst. Nobody much cares now.
But they lit up Liebelt on Twitter on May 18.
Mississippi State, ranked third in the nation and the No. 1 seed in the regional they will host, is the clear favorite. But in baseball, few things are an absolute certainty. The Bulldog may lose. They may lose spectacularly. They may lose in gut-wrenching fashion.
There may be some kid wearing maroon who has his own Bill Buckner moment.
MSU likes to say it has the best fans in college baseball.
But the proof of that might be best measured in the most painful of moments.
Remember Bill Buckner.
You’ll be better fans if you do.
Slim Smith is a columnist and feature writer for The Dispatch. His email address is ssmith@cdispatch.com.
Slim Smith is a columnist and feature writer for The Dispatch. His email address is ssmith@cdispatch.com.
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