Growing up in the Chicago area, I got to see a lot of Bill Buckner.  A first baseman with the Cubs (after being traded from the Dodgers) it was my opinion that he was one of the slickest fielding first basemen in the game at that time.  The only player I remember at that time that may have been slicker than Billy Buck was the late Jim Spencer, who spent a couple of years with the White Sox.

Buckner was definitely a gamer.  A great clutch hitter, he was Mark Grace before Mark grace was cool.  He also played the majority of his career on bad ankles, a decade or so before some of the treatments they offer today.  When he ran, it was sort of like a guy walking on hot coals and looked like he was half running and half hopping.  My friend, Dane used to do a perfect imitation of his run.

So, in 1986, when Bill Buckner booted the ground ball and was vilified by Red Sox nation, it made me sad.  Here's a guy who was 99% accurate in the field, yet in one of the most important moments of his career, he muffed it.  Never mind the Bosox had a chance to wipe it off the books in game 7.

After winning championships in 2004 and 2007, the Red Sox curse is now officially over.  Yesterday, Bill Buckner was welcomed back to Fenway Park to a standing ovation as he threw out the first pitch.  What a sweet moment that must have been for a man who for almost twenty years was the most hated man in Boston (with the possible exception of Mike Torres, but I digress.)

Bill Buckner was a terrific ball player and it warms my heart to see him finally being treated like one.  His faux paus is now history, all has been forgiven and we can remember him for what he really was, a solid ball player who made one, huge, unfortunate error in a big game.

Maybe the White Sox should invite Jerry Dybzinski to throw out the first pitch sometime.