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Bill Buckner is back, coaching my local baseball team
Chris Carminucci, president of the independent league Brockton Rox, has been trying for two years to hire Bill Buckner as his manager. Not once, he insists, did the topic of Buckner’s place in Red Sox history come up.
It was Buckner who allowed that infamous ground ball off the bat of Mookie Wilson to skip past him in the 10th inning in Game 6 of the 1986 World Series. The winning run scored, and the Mets went on to win a championship the Red Sox were an out away from securing.
Buckner, an accomplished player, became a national punch line because of his ill-timed error. Despite a brief return to Boston in 1990, his relationship with the city took some time to repair.
Two championships helped salve the wound, and Buckner received a standing ovation at Fenway Park when he threw out the first pitch before the 2008 home opener.
Now Buckner is ready to return again, having agreed to a two-year deal to manage the Rox.
“I’m excited to spend the summer back in Massachusetts with the Rox,’’ Buckner said in a release from the team. “I’ve been looking forward to getting back into baseball, and it should be a good season.’’
Buckner, who turned 61 last month, has been out of organized baseball since 1997, when he coached with the White Sox. He has since worked at clinics and camps and followed the career of his son Bobby, a redshirt junior infielder at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.
“I wanted a good baseball man to handle the team and develop the players,’’ Carminucci said. “Bill has what it takes and he has so much experience. He’s one of the best around.
“If you’re a fan of baseball and a fan of baseball history, you might want to come out and see him. There’s a controversial side of it, but that wasn’t something Bill and I talked about. He’s moved on and he’ll just manage the team on the field. I’m excited about it.’’
In addition to his administrative responsibilities, Carminucci managed the Rox for the last two seasons and he was eager to spend more time with his family.
“I fired myself,’’ he said. “I wanted to get somebody like Bill Buckner, and I asked a friend of mine, Mal Fichman, about it. He thought we could get Bill.’’
Fichman is a longtime scout and independent league manager. He also happened to live close to Buckner in Idaho and helped bring him together with Carminucci.
“I wanted Bill last year and it didn’t work out,’’ Carminucci said. “But we got him out here to take a look at the stadium in the fall and he said he was interested and would let me know. He e-mailed on Jan. 1. We’re just about to finalize the contract.’’
Brockton, a member of the Can-Am League, plays 96 games starting in late May. The team and the league appear to be on sound financial ground after some rocky times.
“Last year was survival,’’ Carminucci said. “Now I can focus on what I do best, and we have a great manager. It should be fun.’’
It was Buckner who allowed that infamous ground ball off the bat of Mookie Wilson to skip past him in the 10th inning in Game 6 of the 1986 World Series. The winning run scored, and the Mets went on to win a championship the Red Sox were an out away from securing.
Buckner, an accomplished player, became a national punch line because of his ill-timed error. Despite a brief return to Boston in 1990, his relationship with the city took some time to repair.
Two championships helped salve the wound, and Buckner received a standing ovation at Fenway Park when he threw out the first pitch before the 2008 home opener.
Now Buckner is ready to return again, having agreed to a two-year deal to manage the Rox.
“I’m excited to spend the summer back in Massachusetts with the Rox,’’ Buckner said in a release from the team. “I’ve been looking forward to getting back into baseball, and it should be a good season.’’
Buckner, who turned 61 last month, has been out of organized baseball since 1997, when he coached with the White Sox. He has since worked at clinics and camps and followed the career of his son Bobby, a redshirt junior infielder at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.
“I wanted a good baseball man to handle the team and develop the players,’’ Carminucci said. “Bill has what it takes and he has so much experience. He’s one of the best around.
“If you’re a fan of baseball and a fan of baseball history, you might want to come out and see him. There’s a controversial side of it, but that wasn’t something Bill and I talked about. He’s moved on and he’ll just manage the team on the field. I’m excited about it.’’
In addition to his administrative responsibilities, Carminucci managed the Rox for the last two seasons and he was eager to spend more time with his family.
“I fired myself,’’ he said. “I wanted to get somebody like Bill Buckner, and I asked a friend of mine, Mal Fichman, about it. He thought we could get Bill.’’
Fichman is a longtime scout and independent league manager. He also happened to live close to Buckner in Idaho and helped bring him together with Carminucci.
“I wanted Bill last year and it didn’t work out,’’ Carminucci said. “But we got him out here to take a look at the stadium in the fall and he said he was interested and would let me know. He e-mailed on Jan. 1. We’re just about to finalize the contract.’’
Brockton, a member of the Can-Am League, plays 96 games starting in late May. The team and the league appear to be on sound financial ground after some rocky times.
“Last year was survival,’’ Carminucci said. “Now I can focus on what I do best, and we have a great manager. It should be fun.’’
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