Friday, October 28, 2011

Leave Joe Buck Alone!

I wanted to write about next week's LSU-Alabama game, but that World Series Game 6 ... goddamn, I know it's sacrilegious, but that may have been a better game than the Braves-Twins Game 6 20 years ago (the anniversary of which was two days ago, if I'm right), with Kirby Puckett going to the wall to catch what would have been a run-scoring hit and then ending the game with a home run.

I was on Twitter the whole game. Maybe I should have cooled it; instead of watching the TV and seeing David Freese run around the bases after ending the game with a homer in the 11th, I had to type on the laptop my feelings about it. Anyway, an unexpected controversy erupted on Twitter after the game was over: Announcer Joe Buck copying the "And we'll see you ... tomorrow night!!!" call his father, the legendary Jack Buck, used when Puck went yard. There are a lot of people who were not only rolling their eyes over the plagiarism, they're actually pissed off that he would appropriate a call virtually on its 20th anniversary for his own game. The most damning -- and I think ludicrous -- accusation is that he made the end of the Game 6 all about him.

Bullshit. I agree with many critics who say he sounds like he doesn't give a shit about the game he's announcing, and even announcing in general. But that people have a right to be angry that he used his father's seminal call is beyond ridiculous. First of all, Jack Buck is his old man; if anybody can use his line, it's him. I have no problems with that. And second of all, I'm pretty sure he wasn't going to take his father's line unless the circumstances were right. And if you saw that game, saying "And we'll see you ... tomorrow night" was perfectly appropriate.

Ironically, those who tweeted their objections to Joe Buck's use of that call take attention away from what may go down as The Greatest World Series Game Ever and put it on themselves. We just witnessed a team that was a strike away from losing the World Series -- twice -- and somehow won in extra innings, and this is what we're fucking talking about?! For those of you who object to the use of the line -- man, get over yourselves.

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