(Boston.com Photo)

In a stunning and most unexpected turn of events, Red Sox great Bill Buckner reneged on his self-imposed exile from Fenway Park to throw out the ceremonial first pitch for Boston's home opener today.  Following the pregame ceremonies, which included the lowering of the 2007 World Series Championship banner and the giving out of the WS rings, Buckner took the mound to pitch to fellow Sox legend Dwight "Dewey" Evans.  While I'm not quite old enough to have seen Billy Buck play during that infamous '86 season (sorry, I wasn't watching much ball at 2 and 3 years old), his accomplishments in the game are many and it was nice to see him out there, slick mustache and all.   Just as every true Sox fan knows that Fever Pitch was a terrible, terrible movie and an inexcusable misinterpretation of how Sox fans act and think, you and I also know that it wasn't solely Buckner's error in Game 6 that ultimately lost them the '86 World Series against the Mets.  An emotional Buckner was clearly grateful of the appreciation the Fenway faithful displayed in the form of a several-minute-long standing ovation during his time on the mound; I only hope that he knows how appreciative we all are of the great memories he gave us during his 22 seasons in the bigs.