Do Yankees Fans Really Hate Fox Sports’ Joe Buck?

On Monday, Howard Stern asked FOX Sports’ Joe Buck about that one time he injured former Yankees third baseman, Alex Rodriguez.

It’s not every day that sports fans, let alone Yankees fans, hold a play-by-play announcer in contempt, especially one as successful as Joe Buck. The guy not only calls the biggest Postseason games, but during the NFL season, he and Troy Aikman can be found voicing Fox’s NFC game of the week, as well as this year’s upcoming Super Bowl.

But for one reason or another, Buck is often the butt of many social media jokes. From an Indians fan creating a wedding registry for Buck and Chicago Cubs outfielder Kyle Schwarber during last year’s World Series — to another clever guy creating a petition to convince Fox to replace Buck with Bob Uecker. Some 55,000 signatures later, the laughs about Buck’s hair plugs, Donald Trump-inspired dyed hair, and his wardrobe full of turtlenecks keep on coming.

Last October, Esquire asked him if any of the criticism is deserved. Buck responded:

"This will be my 19th World Series. And I’ve been the top football guy at Fox, and this will be my fifth Super Bowl. So when you’re in that position you’re going to take a lot of heat—if you call that heat. To me it’s just social media noise. Personally, people couldn’t be nicer, but when they’re in their Cubs blanket or Indians hat, you’re doing it for the network, you’re kind of the enemy. I would say I take more than certainly most, but I’ve also done more than most. I’ve got a great life because of it and I’m happy to put up with it."

Whether you like Buck’s patchy beard or not, he’s generally one of the better announcers in sports. He’s charismatic, self-deprecating, and knowledgeable without being annoying.

As a guest on Howard Stern’s satellite radio show earlier this week, Buck said he doesn’t understand why Yankees fans don’t like him. Being an on-camera personality, he wants to call games that draw the biggest viewing audience, and well, the Yankees traditionally do that.

Stern then switched gears and brought up the August 2010 pregame incident where Buck was accused of having a hand in injuring A-Rod.

"“I’m with my sister’s son, Jack. I walk out of the dugout, and Alex, who’s become a good friend of mine, is standing there at third base while they’re taking batting practice. And he looks over to me and goes, ‘Hey, Joe. I said, ‘Hey Alex.’ And I keep walking. He says, ‘Hey Joe, and he’s starting to say, ‘Is that your boy?’ And Lance Berkman, who was playing for the Yankees at the time, hits a rocket. It crunches him right under his knee. He goes running out one-legged into center field. He’s rolling around in the grass in center field grabbing his leg. I’m standing down there and I’m like, ‘Oh my God, I hope nobody saw me talking to him.’ And eventually one of the players said, ‘I know how he got hurt. He was talking to that Fox guy, Buck.’ Then the horde of media guys turn on me. They said, ‘What happened?’ I said, I just walked out on the field. He turned his head to say hi, and he got whacked.'”"

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Though Rodriguez was scratched from the game, the Yankees still managed to beat the Red Sox that night. Regardless, Buck knows that the ridicule he received the day after courtesy of the Daily News only further ignited the fire of New York’s disdain for him. Buck closed out his interview when he came to this conclusion:

“They (Yankees fans) hate me.”