[ChuckElias]

Ok, this has obviously been rehashed ad nauseum up here in New England, but as Drake pointed out, the Sox had already blown a 3-run lead. So the bullpen is as much to blame for the loss as Buckner.

Secondly, Buckner's ankles had been bad for much of the season, at least since the All-Star break. He was routinely replaced in the late innings of games that season for defensive purposes. The fact is that even if Buckner had come up with the ball, it's not at all a given that he would've beaten the runner to the bag. He just couldn't run. However, b/c it was the first Series-clinching game for the Sox in almost 70 years, the manager wanted Buckner on the field to celebrate the final out. So bullpen woes and sentimentality are to blame more than the man himself.

I think there are very few in Boston who still blame him or hold the grudge. We all remember that it was him, of course; but it wasn't all his fault. (In fact, he was brought back to the Sox near the end of his career and received a standing ovation when he took the field at Fenway.)

Chuck