Bucky Backers Try to Conquer World by Will Lingo From Baseball America

February 2001 edition of Baseball America

We’ve all done it. Sitting around in a ballpark or watching television with a bunch of friends, someone gets a goofy idea and the crazy suggestions start flying.

"Hey, wouldn’t it be cool if we figured out the top 30 prospects for every organization, instead of just the top 10?"

All right, so that idea is a little too goofy. But Aaron Hayes and his friends had a pretty crazy idea themselves back in 1998 as they watched the hometown Kane County Cougars play the Beloit Snappers.

Sitting in the right-field bleachers at Elfstrom Stadium, Hayes and his friends decided they would heckle the Snappers’ right fielder, for no better reason than he was close enough to hear them.

Before they got started, though, the Snappers came to bat and the right fielder was up. The announcer called out his name on the public-address system: Bucky Jacobsen.

That’s when things got goofy. Hayes and his friends liked the name so much that they couldn’t heckle Jacobsen anymore.

"My friends and I have always contended that certain names in certain sports ensure success," he said. "And Bucky Jacobsen is a great baseball name."

It was all a joke at first. They would follow Jacobsen throughout his career. They would start a Bucky cable network and feature nothing but shows about guys named Bucky. They would start a Website so people could track Jacobsen’s career. They would call their club the Bucky Backers.

Keeping It Real

Only Hayes and his friends were different. They talked to Jacobsen after the game and he gave them a few autographed souvenirs. They traveled to Beloit to see him play, and he left them comp tickets at the box office. They saw him in Clinton, in Quad City, in Rockford, and of course when he returned to Kane County.

"That was the thing that really kind of solidified it," Hayes said. "He was very open to the idea and took it all in fun. His personality cemented the relationship."

One of the group, Stefan Kretschmann, works at STATS Inc., so he e-mailed updates on Jacobsen’s stats out every week or so. And Hayes, a high school math teacher in suburban Chicago, wanted to learn HTML, the programming language of the Web. So he actually did assemble a Website.

The Bucky Backers moved from idea to reality. What’s even more amazing is that they’re still going, though they haven’t seen Jacobsen play since that 1998 season. But they pick up members wherever Jacobsen goes, including Venezuela, where he played this winter.

"It started as a joke and developed into something more," Hayes said. "Every time we get another call or e-mail about it, we just laugh. We never thought it would turn into anything.

"It just keeps on snowballing, and I’m no longer surprised by the e-mail I get."

The Bucky Backers–whose Website is definitely worth a visit (buckybackers.8m.com)–have tried to catch Jacobsen in the last couple of years. They had a trip planned to Double-A Huntsville in 1999, for instance, but he got hurt and sent to the California League.

That provided more inspiration, though. The Bucky Backers put together a tour of every California League city and called it the In Our Dreams Tour–because they couldn’t actually go. They even made T-shirts, and you can order one from their Website.

Dream A Little Dream

You can also order a shirt for the Tour De La Liga Venezolana De Baseball Profesional, a stop at every city in the Venezuelan League for Jacobsen’s La Guaira Sharks. Again, the original Bucky Backers didn’t actually go on the tour, but the group did add new members in Venezuela.

"He’s a down-to-earth guy, and everywhere he’s gone people have latched onto him," Hayes said.
In fact, Jacobsen’s agent used members of the Bucky Backers in Venezuela when he shipped bats and gloves to Jacobsen, to make sure he got them.

Now nearly 100 people are on the Bucky Backers mailing list, along with the original core membership of 15 to 20 people. And though they’ve only watched Jacobsen from afar for the past couple of seasons, he could be coming back to the Midwest. The group expects Jacobsen to be assigned to Triple-A Indianapolis in 2001, which would put him well within driving distance.

We at Baseball America came across the Bucky Backers as we combed the Web for information about Jacobsen for our Prospect Handbook. Yes, our crazy dream of providing prospect profiles for 900 players has become reality.

And though we don’t think Jacobsen figures into the Brewers’ long-term plans, we dare not crush the dreams of the Bucky Backers. Especially Hayes, a longtime Brewers fan who would love to see Jacobsen play in Milwaukee.
For Bucky and all his fans, we’ll keep hoping he at least gets a cup of coffee. We can’t wait to see the T-shirt.

Will Lingo is the managing editor for Baseball America. You can contact him by sending e-mail to willlingo@baseballamerica.com.

If you have a tip, story idea, complaint or something else to say, send e-mail to willlingo@baseballamerica.com.

The 2000 Season

2000 was anticipated as a big year for Bucky - and it was. He was named to both the Southern League All-Star Game and the AA All-Star Game.

We weren't able to go to the Southern League All-Star game directly, but some fans who discovered Bucky in 1999 did. Read about their experience at the Southern League All Star Game.

Just as we were trying to figure out if it was possible to get out to Maryland to see Bucky play in the AA All Star Game, Bucky broke his wrist in a collision at first base. It looked like all of our roadtrips were brought to a halt.

As Bucky headed to Venezeula for winter ball, a group of fans of the Tibournes tracked us down and asked about the fan club. The 2000 t-shirts were made for a Venezeulan League tour.

We were looking forward to Bucky hopefully moving up to AAA Indianapolis (maybe even Milwaukee?) next year which would make roadtrips easier.

2000 Bucky Backers™ Shirts

Here is the design of the 2000 Bucky Backers™ t-shirts for the Venezeulan Tour.

The 1999 Season

One of the Backers was able to see Bucky play in Huntsville in 1999. The Bucky Backers were all set to make the trip to Alabama but had to cancel their roadtrips to Huntsville due to Bucky's injury and then his transfer to the Stockton Ports. But that doesn't mean the enthusiasm or cheering has to stop!

We set up the "In Our Dreams Tour" which covers nine Ports' games. Each game was against a different opponent in the California League, so ideally, the whole league could see what the Backers' are about! Of course we couldn't really get there, but that's why it the "In Our Dreams Tour."

To make sure our enthusiasm is known, we've made t-shirts for the tour. You can see a copy of the shirt on the 1999 Bucky Backers t-shirt page.

The dates of the "tour" were as follows:

7/7 vs Lake Elsinore
7/10 @ San Jose
7/17 @ Lancaster
7/24 vs San Bernadino
7/31 @ Visalia
8/7 @ Bakersfield
8/8 @ Modesto
8/21 vs High Desert
9/5 vs Rancho Cucamonga

Bucky's Family Comes to Town

On August 21st, the Bucky Backers™ headed back to Beloit for an unscheduled trip to see Bucky. The reason you ask? Bucky's family was coming to town!

The Backers piled into the vans in Wheaton and headed to Beloit. They bypassed the usually meal stop because Bucky's mom was throwing a picnic for the group! The Backers were most appreciative, especially Paul who packed away a hamburger and two chicken sandwiches plus the chips, pickles, etc. that came with it.

The night had clouds overhanging the ball park, with thunder and lightning being seen in the distance. But the rain held off long enough to see the Snappers start the game. The Quad City River Bandits jumped out with two runs in the top of the first inning, but the hometown Snappers answered with two of their own in the bottom of the frame. The Backers astonished Bucky's family with their cheering, though by their own admission, it was not as rowdy as early escapades. The loudest Backers were at a school retreat and unfortunately couldn't make the trip.

The top of the fourth saw the Bandits erupt for five runs, some off of Snapper errors. As the rain started to come down harder, the Snappers started a rally. The scored two runs in the bottom of the fifth inning. At the end of the inning, the umps halted the game.

The Backers along with the rest of the fans sought shelter under the stands. Bucky, who struck out with the bases loaded at the end of the fifth stayed in the dugout for a long time (understandably). He emerged to the delight of fans and spent twenty minutes talking with the Backers and his family. The Backers had to take off before the game resumed. It had been a great year and fortunately Bucky and his family appreciated the Backers enthusiasm.