"Is this heaven?" "No, it's Iowa."

The Bucky Backers™ road trip to the Quad Cities was small in number, but they made quite an impression on the local fans. From inquiries about the club to jeering, the Backers experienced it all.

After a three hour trip in the van, the six faithful Backers entered John O'Donnell stadium sporting their new t-shirts. While the Backers were getting set up in the first base bleachers, Bucky headed to the outfield to warm up. You could see the quizzical look on his face as he noticed the Backers all had the same color t-shirt on. He came over to the fence and started to laugh as he saw the new Backer gear. His teammates also got a laugh out of the t-shirts. The Backers presented Bucky with a t-shirt and headed up the bleachers to get ready for the game.
The Snappers got off to a great start, scoring two runs in the first inning. Garrett Osilka started with a solo home run and after walking, Bucky scored the Snappers second run.

The River Bandits came back with two in the bottom of the inning. The game went back and forth with the scoring becoming tied 4-4 in the seventh inning. But the Snappers broke the game open in the eighth inning. With two outs, Bucky got things started with his third walk of the game. More walks, hit batsmen, and hits followed and by the end, the Snappers had scored six runs, bringing the game to 10-4.

Throughout the game, the Bucky Backers™ continued to cheer for Bucky and his teammates. Many comments from upset River Bandit fans came their way. But the Backers kept cheering despite the jeering and saw the Snappers on their way to victory.

The Bucky Backers™ Head Back to Beloit

The Bucky Backers™ trip to Beloit on July 16th was the largest Backer event to date. 32 loyal and new fans came from all over Wisconsin and Illinois. One Backer even brought friends from New Zealand! The Backers met in Beloit to see the Snappers take on those dreaded corn Kernels from Cedar Rapids.

The original plans for the evening included having the Backers sing the National Anthem and Aaron throwing out the first pitch. Unfortunately, some of the Backers arrived late for the caravan up to Beloit. This delay made the Backers arrive at the ballpark in the middle of the first inning, missing both events. Thankfully, Snappers GM Matt Harris graciously allowed the Backers to sing "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" during the 7th inning stretch. Thanks again for that Matt!

With the added numbers to the Backers, new cheering possibilities were created. "BUCKY RULES" and "GO BUCKY" signs graced the bleachers. The evening also saw the debut of a new song for the Backers. Peter and Aaron came up with the song during Bucky's stint as first base coach at Kane County. The title? "B is for Bucky," sung to the tune of that Sesame Street favorite, "C is for Cookie." Many in the stadium were amused.

The game itself went quickly - a little over two hours! The Snappers committed no errors, which surely pleased manager Don Money. The final score, however, did not. The Snappers played from behind the entire game and scored their only run in the ninth inning. The run came on Bucky's broken bat single - the Bucky Backers™ went nuts. Unfortunately, nothing more came of the Snappers' rally.

After the game, Bucky was his usual easy going self - cordial with the fans, signing autographs and talking with the masses. Always the professional, Bucky made it memorable for every one.

Kane County, Round 2: June 30 and July 2, 1998

Bucky's return to Kane County was an event that many Backers looked forward to. Five brave Bucky Backers™ braved the elements and watched the first game from the lawn seats in right field. The 12-inning affair included rain, so the BUCKY signs were quickly used as rain gear.

The evening saw the Snappers lose to the host Cougars. Highlights included being mentioned on Cougar radio as "those guys from the All-Star game." The Backers also saw Bucky steal his third base of the season - it was on a double steal, but it still counts in the stats book!

After skipping the July 1st afternoon game (hey, we have jobs too!), the Bucky Backers™ came out to support Beloit's rightfielder on July 2nd. After setting up out in the bleachers, Mike learned from Bucky that manager Don Money was giving him the night off - he would coach first base instead. The Backers moved to their assigned seats down the first base line and prepared to cheer their favorite first base coach!

Sitting in the middle of a bunch of Cougar fans does have its disadvantages. The looks of "you are lunatics" were shot toward the Backers a number of times, along with shaking of heads. But true to their calling, the Backers supported Bucky. Each inning as Bucky trotted out toward first base, cheers and chants would be heard throughout the stadium in Geneva.

Bucky did see action in the game in the ninth inning. The leftfielder for Beloit was hurt in a collision with the Snappers centerfielder. Bucky took over rightfield with the starting rightfielder moving from right to left. With a man on second and the score tied, a ball was hit to right. Bucky, playing shallow, charged and threw a bullet to the plate. The call was "safe," on a close play at the plate. Bucky was upset with himself afterwards, but it was evident to all in attendance that Bucky's arm wasn't something to be tested.

Midwest League All-Star Game

A group of hardy Backers, fresh off a missions trip to Arizona made the trek to beautiful Clinton, Iowa. They cheered and yelled for their hero, and fans for the west team gave the Backers the same back. Everyone had a great time, though Bucky's team lost the contest.

Thanks to Jeffrey Brazzale of the Beloit Snappers front office for these pictures!

The Bucky Backers™ First Road Trip

The Bucky Backers™ started their first road trip of the season on June 6th. While all the Backers were not able to make the trip, the ten that did had a night to remember. They left from Wheaton, Illinois and treked up I-90 to Beloit, Wisconsin, home to the Beloit Snappers. Their goal: to see Bucky Jacobsen and his teammates play the Peoria Chiefs.

Shortly after arriving in Beloit, the group started to set up in the bleachers furthest down the first base line. As they were putting the finishing touches on the new B-U-C-K-Y sign Matt Harris, the Snappers' General Manager, stopped by to say hello and welcome the Backers to Beloit. The group was impressed they were noticed so soon - they hadn't even started to cheer.

Bucky was announced and the Bucky Backers™ cheered, drawing the looks of those sitting around them. In the bottom of the first, Bucky came to bat. As always the Backers gave their support. The surprised Peoria Chiefs looked baffled be the support being given to Bucky. Bucky hit a towering shot to straight away centerfield. The ball was tracked down by Peoria's centerfielder on a great running catch inches from the wall. A few feet to the left or the right and the ball would have been gone.

Before the fourth inning, the Backers were approached to take part in the dizzy bat race. Kyle and Bill were up to the challenge and Bill won the contest. Kyle disputs the victory since while running toward Snappy, Bill fell and then "accidentally" tripped Kyle which gave Bill the victory.

The bottom of the fourth brought Bucky back to the plate. Nathan led the group in a cheer: "Give me a B! Give me a U!...." Bucky sent a drive over the wall and the Backers went nuts. Nathan, Kyle, Dan, Colin, and Paul took off their shirts revealing the letters B-U-C-K-Y on their chests as Bucky rounded the bases. The Beloit crowd was amazed at the enthusiasm of the group.

The rest of the game was a blast. Fans came to talk to the Backers, asking how and why the group got started. Dave McSorley of the Snappers stopped by to find out more about the group for a newsletter article. It was turning out to be a great night.

Bucky came up to bat two more times during the game. In the sixth he gave the ball a ride to left but it came just short of the wall for an out. Bucky also came up in the ninth with two outs and flew out to left again. The Snappers could not overcome their six errors and Peoria won the contest.

In talking with Bucky after the game, it was evident that while he extended his league leading home run and RBI numbers to 14 and 50 respectively, he was upset that his team had lost the game. His humbleness and team spirit came through again - the sign of a true ball player.

The Backers hopped in the van and headed home to Illinois, all the more enthusiastic about Bucky and the Snappers. The first-timers were passionate about seeing more games. It was decided that all of the Kane County series in Geneva, Illinois must be attended. The Bucky Backers™ had not been disappointed.