HOW TO SAVE STEVE BARTMAN’S LIFE

Posted By: Peter DavidPosted On:

The Cubs should hire him.

Seriously. Find a job in the organization for him. He’s not stupid. Guys’ a finance major. Must be something on the business side he can do. Plus he coaches youngsters. Let’s keep in mind that he, an amateur, displayed the most often quoted baseball axiom that even many pros forget: Keep your eye on the ball. He did that. So if the Cubs have a youth club (as many ball organizations do) put him in charge of that.

And just imagine the commercials for next year: “I’m Steve Bartman. As Chicago Cubs associate business manager, I have permanent seats at Wrigley…nine rows back of home plate. I’m nowhere near the front row. NOTHING can stop us now.”

PAD

53 comments on “HOW TO SAVE STEVE BARTMAN’S LIFE”

  1. I think Bartman is too busy fleeing for his life right now to worry about job opportunities. Maybe he can hide with Saddam Hussein, thus assuring that no American will ever find him. Or Osama Bin Ladin. Or the weapons of mass destruction. Although some Chicago fans may now regard him as the latter.

  2. Brilliant idea, Peter. Seriously, someone make sure this gets to the attention of somebody in the Cubs organization, okay?

    I mean, they’ve got a little time on their hands now anyway….. 🙁

  4. I think people should cut the guy a break. I mean, really; he probably spent a fortune to get to the game. He most likely got lost on the way to the park, disoriented in the parking lot, pìššëd after paying some additional money to park his minivan, and had to ask nine different attendants for directions to his seats. There were a number of reasons why he sprang, so spritely, from his seat. First off, his wallet was much lighter. If he’s like the rest of us idiots, he was short on cash. The program probably cost $35, being it is a “special” game series. The two hot dogs he ate were $14. The two beers he drank in the first inning cost $15.50. The souvenir cap he bought cost $25, and the cheap felt pennant cost an additional $8.50. I feel it is the ballpark’s fault. He was probably a little gassey from the hot dogs, emboldened by the beer’s’, was half out of his seat already due to the fortune of junk purchased that was now piled there for lack of personal space, wasn’t enlightened by the program as to WHEN it is good or bad to catch a fly ball, and the hat was a little too tight on his head. Let’s face it: big freaking deal. We’ve all contributed, perhaps not to this particular ball park, tax monies to help build them; in one form or another. In thanks for our contribution, the stadiums bear the commercial names of the sponsors who also contributed, always without mention to taxpayers. If the stadium wasn’t so greedy, they’d have moved the seats back further from the fence, allowing a buffer zone between the reach of the skybound players, and the starstruck spectators. They wouldn’t have made the man desperate to regain a fraction of his money spent to be so uncomfortable, (and now: ostracized,) by offering this ball on ebay! Hey, if it isn’t up for auction for $15k in two weeks, I’ll eat my own baseball hat! (All in fun, folks! I enjoy your responses!)

  6. PAD,

    I know you’re being facetious, but give me a break! The last thing the Cubs need is the guy who a lot of people blame for beginning the fall. To make matters worse, he’s nothing but a momma’s boy who still lives at home at 26! Sheesh….

    [sarcasm] Yeah, having him do the commercials would get me to buy tickets. [/sarcasm] Oh wait, I already have access to season tickets. Never mind.

  7. You know, I know everyone is blaming this guy for the cubs not winning and all, but I’m not a baseball fan and certainly don’t care about the cubs, the Red Sox, the Indians and so on…. but in the back of my mind I can’t help but keep thinking, “You know, if the Cubs was just a BETTER baseball club they wouldn’t HAVE to blame a fan for blowing ONE lousy play in a play-off series for not making it to the World Series.”

    I mean, I know they believe in curses by goat farmers and wearing the same underwear for weeks and such, but come on….

  8. You know, this whole thing is like a bad Simpsons episode. I mean there was even a song called “Do the Bartman”! The Cubs could have easily won game 7 and nobody would even remembered this fool. As it is we’ll probably have to hear about it for a whole year!

  9. You know, this whole thing is like a bad Simpsons episode.

    I thought the same thing, then I heard that was really the guy’s name!

    Great, NOW we’re gonna be hearing “Do the Bartman” from the Marlins clubhouse…I can see it already, dámņìŧ, it’s gonna be more annoying then then the Braves tomahawk chant…

  10. I know you’re being facetious, but give me a break! The last thing the Cubs need is the guy who a lot of people blame for beginning the fall. To make matters worse, he’s nothing but a momma’s boy who still lives at home at 26! Sheesh….

    First, I wasn’t being facetious. I was quite, quite serious. Understand: the frickin’ GOVERNOR OF ILLINOIS tore into this guy. The top official of the state didn’t tell his populace to take a step back and cut the guy a break. Even the Governor bìŧçhëd him out. It’s almost a lynching mentality.

    The only way on Earth he won’t continue to be a pariah is if the Cubs organization itself hires him.

    And second…are you at *all* aware of how many people are residing with their parents these days? Either out of economic necessity, or because the parents are in ill-health and there’s no health care available to provide support? (Furthermore, I could swear I read that he had his own apartment three blocks from Wrigley field.) Either way, you know nothing about this guy’s personal circumstances, and automatically assume the most disparaging things about him. “Sheesh” indeed.

    The last thing the Cubs need? The last thing the Cubs needed was to drop three games in a row after taking a 3-1 series lead. They managed that. Here’s a thought, and maybe it’s outlandish, but consider: The Cubs blew game 5 all by themselves. They blew game 7 all by themselves. And Bartman’s grab at the ball didn’t actually cost any runs in and of itself. Their lousy subsequent play did that. If we take the umpires’ call as correct and Bartman didn’t do anything wrong, perhaps the organization owes him something for their lousy play in games 5, 6 and 7 totally screwing up Bartman’s life.

    PAD

  11. Preach it, Brother Peter. Amen.

    They were up 3-1, folks. They were one game away from the Series. Bartman’s actions–which 99.9% of people would do in the same situation–are utterly irrelevant.

    And y’all do know that the goat-curse story was totally fabricated by a sportswriter and a nearby tavern owner, don’t ya? Unlike the actuall ill-will between Ruth and the Red Sox, there’s no grain of truth behind the silliness whatsoever, just as there’s no truth to the claim that Bartman’s actions were a genuine factor.

    Was is true, sadly, is that he’s now the officially sanctioned scapegoat (irony alert) for an understandably disappointed Cubbie Nation. The Governor should be ashamed and owes Bartman an apology.

  12. You know, this whole thing is like a bad Simpsons episode.

    I can just hear it now…

    “Marge, it’s my lifelong dream!”

    “Your lifelong dream was to be on TV during a Major League playoff game. And you did it in 2003!”

  13. //He’s not stupid.//

    Well, that’s debatable. Shouldn’t the Marlins hire this guy? They do owe him.

    Also, am I the only one who sees an Adam Sandler comedy coming out of all this?

  14. The governor of Illinois is a ninny. Intelligent people pay no attention to anything that he says.

    PAD, I believe you’re correct about him having an apartment near Wrigley, but he’s been hiding out with his parents, according to reports, following the snafu.

    Stories in the Tribune today indicate that he was an honors student, bright guy, nice guy, who managed to fail his roll on wisdom that day. (Or as we used to say when playing D&D, you have to watch out for those intelligence 18, wisdom 3 mages.)

    Apparently, John Kass, a Tribune columnist and Sox fan, was sitting not too far away and had a chance to talk (sort of) to the fellow while he was still in the stands. His resulting column was interesting reading:

    http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/columnists/chi-0310160252oct16,1,4111397.column?coll=chi-news-col

  15. The collective intelligence of this board is so far ahead of what’s working in Hollywood that it’s frightening. This is a story that practically writes itself. You can almost hear the voiceover for the trailer:

    “sometimes, it takes being hated by everyone…to be loved by someone.” Cut to Adam Sandler being hugged by (insert up and coming young actress name here)and cheered by the town after he saves the orphans from a buring bus.

    In real life, of course, Bartman could save an entire orphanage, cure cancer and capture Bin Laden and it wouldn’t be enough.

  17. I keep having this image of him not catching it, the outfielder (going blank on who it was) not making the essentially miracle catch he would’ve needed, and people STILL wanting to lynch the guy, saying “If Bartman had only caught it, it would have been ruled fan interference.”

    Maybe WE’RE the ones in the mirror universe.

  18. Ok, so maybe Hollywood ain’t so slow after all. CNN reports that, quote “Trade publication Daily Variety reports that Revolution Studios has accepted a pitch for a movie tentatively titled “Fan Interference.” The movie is expected to star TV sitcom star Kevin James of the CBS show “King of Queens.” Variety said it would tell the story of a fan who screws up an easy out, and then has to deal with the ramifications.”

    Could use a better title though.

  19. Wheaton’s letter is wonderful, Elyane–thanks for the link– and thanks to Wheaton for penning it.

    Folks intent on reaming That Guy should also look again at the photos of the event: at least three other people in his immediate vicinity are reaching for the ball, too–two of them have gloves on. It’s what one does at ballgames, folks, when one’s in the stands. It’s not at all like what That Kid did, which was to clearly reach into the field of play- Prior got the ball right back in Wrigley, and then folded up like a paper cup.

    That Guy’s had helicopeters around his parents house–sheesh!

  20. I still don’t buy it. I’ve seen the footage trillions of times (I live in Chicago, too) and I’m convinced that unless Moises had suddenly become Nightcrawler, there’s no way in hëll he could’ve caught that ball. And it’s very possible that had Bartman not touched it, someone else would have.

    One missed ball doesn’t explain how you can be ahead 3-1 and then lose the series.

  21. I was saying a lot of this too. PAD – I have posted your thoughts on this on the Cubs board I frequent. No responses so far, although I know some of those guys are peeved.

    Also I said that if this were a Sandler movie, Bartman would’ve charged the mound early on in game 7 and thumped the Marlins pitcher, thus throwing off the Marlins and giving the Cubs a shot at the Series.

    BTW – not sure if it’s been mentioned here, but a stage play has already been written (or is BEING written) about this story – a fan interferes with what would’ve been an easy out, costing his team the game, etc etc.

    I really wish I could talk to Bartman and let him know it’ll be ok.

  22. I’m hockey fanatic, so I understand how people can live and die with a team. But this is ridiculous, and a sad comment on Chicagonians and Illinoians. The fan didn’t cause the Cubs to choke, the Cubs did it all to themselves.

    Blame Prior for losing his composure. Blame Gonzalez for the error. Blame Dusty for keeping Prior in too long. Hëll if you’re going to blame the fan, you might as well blame 7th inning guest singer Bernie Mac for changing the lyrics to “root, root for the Champions”.

    Given the insane passion of some of these supposed “fans”, it’s laughable that Trek fans get mocked for their passion. Aside from empty threats to Wesley Crusher, no one associated with Trek has ever had to fear for their life.

  23. Please don’t tar all Illinoians with a broad brush. I live in Champaign-Urbana (though I’m not from around here originally, and I’m a Red Sox fan inasmuch as I care at all). The reaction I’ve heard from people at work, even the devoted Cubs fans, has been one of disappointment, not anger. (Besides, not all Illinoians, or even Chicagoans, are Cubs fans; there is the matter of the White Sox, you know.)

  24. Friday morning, 12:43am:

    If I may quote Chas B.: AUUUUGGGHHHHH!!!

    Sigh

    (Okay, okay, I know how to do this–decades of practice and all….)

    Wait Til Next Year.

    Oh, and GO MARLINS!

    (Or something to that effect….)

  25. Elayne: “Everybody should read Wil Wheaton’s Open Letter immediately.”

    Because if anyone knows anything about being harassed by irrational fans, it’s Wil Wheaton.

  26. Kevin T. Brown: To make matters worse, he’s nothing but a momma’s boy who still lives at home at 26! Sheesh….

    Luigi Novi: That’s a very culturally biased statement, and rather judgmental. In many cultures, (as with Polynesians, for example), multiple generations live in the same house. Among Italian-Americans like my family, children don’t move out until they get married. My cousin is 36, and lives with his father. Since his mother passed away years ago, and his brother and sister are married with kids, it’s simply logical to stay in the same house, rather than leave and have all that space go to waste. And as Peter pointed out, there are other reasons as well. His father is pushing 70, and had a heart attack a few years back, so for my confirmed bachelor cousin to stay with him just makes sense. I myself am 31, and I live at home. My sister didn’t move out until she got married at 27. There is nothing abnormal or disreputable about this. Your comment on the other hand, certainly was.

    It’s comments like this that continue to underscore the HYPOCRISY of a society that looks down its nose at fans of science fiction and fantasy. Say what you will about fans of comic books, Star Wars, Star Trek or Lord of the Rings, but I’ve NEVER heard of an instance in which even the most annoying, insular, reclusive or socially inept nerds of those persuasions were ever mentioned to have threatened PHYSICAL VIOLENCE against anyone, necessitating security having to escort a fan out of a convention center, or helicopters flying over his house.

  27. “Given the insane passion of some of these supposed ‘fans,’ it’s laughable that Trek fans get mocked for their passion. Aside from empty threats to Wesley Crusher, no one associated with Trek has ever had to fear for their life.” As Michael Pullman intimates, Tinman, one of Wheaton’s points in the Open Letter was the similarities in passion between the Trekkies who hated him because of a character he played and the Cubs fanatics who hate That Guy because of an out that Alou didn’t make, and irrationally because the Cubs then allowed an 8-run inning after that failed attempt.

  28. It is irrational to blame that one guy for ruining the Cubs’ chances, but he is an easy target. In fan superstition, if Alou had made the catch, then the Cubs would have sailed through the rest of the inning.

    I really hope the guy will be able to get on with his life.

    It really is too bad that his first name wasn’t Homer, since what happened was more of a Homer act than a Bart act.

    Taking advantage of this, the WB has switched episodes tonight, the summary for tonight’s Ground for Life episode:

    “Sean (Donal Logue) and Eddie (Kevin Fitzgerald Corrigan) take Jimmy (Griffin Frazen) and Henry (Jake Burbage) to a Yankees/Red Sox baseball game. Sean catches a ball that is still in play, losing the game for the Yankees and enraging the entire population of New York.”

    Neil

  30. This is the info from the WHOIS registry on the person who registered the URL stevebartman.com

    Curse Lives Partners

    Chief Technology Officer

    555 W. Madison, Suite 2503 Chicago, IL 60661 US

    Phone: 3125555555

    Email: thecurselives2003@yahoo.com

    The phone # of course is fake. The street address looks suspicious.

    The email address might exist.

    Things don’t look good.

  31. I’ve seen the footage trillions of times (I live in Chicago, too) and I’m convinced that unless Moises had suddenly become Nightcrawler, there’s no way in hëll he could’ve caught that ball.

    And yet, his glove his the hand of the guy that kept him from catching it.

    Seems like a pretty good chance to catch it to me.

    And it’s very possible that had Bartman not touched it, someone else would have.

    Are we watching the same replays?

    While everybody else was reaching for it, none of them touched it.

    It still comes down to the fact that the fans need to know what the smeg is going on so they don’t screw something up FOR THEIR OWN TEAM!

  32. Southwest Airlines, not the Cubs, could get the most advertising mileage out of this episode. Is there a more perfect situation for their “Ever wish you could get away” campaign?

  33. I can’t belive this whole page is all about a single catch. Look what the ending score was of the game. It didn’t really matter. If you need a single person for a scapegoat that is pretty sad.

  34. If you need a single person for a scapegoat that is pretty sad.

    *chuckle* And yet, the media continually perpetuates the “curses” of Babe Ruth and Billy “Goat” Saines (sp?).

  35. They should have had him in the dugout for the last game! Shake your fist right in the face of the curse! Coach should have asked “are we ballplayers or ignorant dullards?” “We have an excuse to lose but can we prove that We are masters of our own destiny?”

  37. I would like to personally thank Steve Bartman..good ol’ Stevie! He deserves a MARLINS hat slapped on his head and a nice Cuban cigar shoved in his mouth. As far as i’m concerned Steve Bartman is the MVP of game 6. LONG LIVE STEVE BARTMAN!

    PS. CUBS HAD NO CHANCE ANYWAYS..IT’S THEIR DESTINY.

  38. Perhaps I was more than a tad harsh in my criticism of Steve Bartman, but I stand by my statements. Like them, hate them, ambivalent to them, whatever…

    Do I totally blame Bartman? Hëll, no. Is he blameless? Again, Hëll, no. Could Alou have caught that ball? Well, considering the fact that the ball, Bartman’s hands and Alou’s glove basically all met at the same time, I say Yes. That, my friends, is out #2. What happened changed the entire dynamics of the inning. Period.

    Yes, the Cubs blew it after that. They definitely blew game 7 in grand fashion. However, that does not dismiss the fact that one fan ultimately had a hand (pun definitely intended) in the fate of his team’s success or failure. Yeah, it’s completely unfair for fans to rip on Bartman and blame him 100%, but everyone except him and Looney pulled their hands back from the play to give Alou a chance!

    As for my comments about him living with his parents: Chalk it up to 35 years of frustration and having something (once again) unceremoniously ripped away. Was I wrong in what I said about him being a momma’s boy and living at home? Yes and no, in that order.

    Oh, and a side note to Luigi Novi: It wasn’t cultural bias, it was the way I brought up. By the time I was 22, I was out on my own and earning a living. Yes, I know there are some children out there still living at home and taking care of their parents. I respect those that do that! This ain’t one of those cases though….

    And a side note to PAD: If you were serious about the Cubs hiring him, you honestly do not understand what a “Die-Hard Cub Fan” is like. No real fan would be willing to accept it (not those “fans” who go to the park for the experience, but the real fans who have lived and died with the team in good times & bad) and they would rebel. I agree with the one poster about Southwest Airlines maybe wanting to hire him though…. Now THAT would be funny to watch!

    Let me end this extremely long post by saying this: My comments were made out of frustration and anger and disappointment. Bartman was only a small part of the collapse/choke. The media went overboard in their over-zealousness in reporting this story and the “fans” followed suit. To this day and forever, I will blame Bartman for starting it all, and Baker for leaving Prior is 1 batter too long, and Gonazalez for that error, and Sosa for overthrowing the cutoff man and….. You get my point.

    Oh, and go Yankees!

  39. Bartman will long be remembered because:

    #1, He, Steve Bartman is/was and will always be, the chief party who started the downward spiral side the Cubs caught themselves in during the top of the 8th inning in game 6. Alou KNEW he had a play on the foul. . . why do you think he was so upset when Bartman got in the way ? That single instance began a chain or rapidly downward events that effected not only Alou, but also Prior, Gonzalez and millions of Cubs fans. One player, (Alou) gets upset. . . Prior gets upset, etc. The whole team got upset. . and. . and. . it played into the Marlins hands as a signal that they had “new life”.

    #2, He is the only person stupid enough to release a statement apologizing to the millions upon millions of Cubs fans, buy stating, and I quote:

    “. . . . . Had I thought for one second that the ball was playable or had I seen Alou approaching I would have done whatever I could to get out of the way and give Alou a chance to make the catch.”

    Hey Bartman. . . you had headphones on and were listening to WGN radio AM720 . . . Andy Mazur, (the Cubs broadcaster) was screaming that Alou was coming over to make the catch. . . so how sorry are you when the message comes to you via AM RADIO, right into your 1987 $20 headphones. . . that Alou is attempting to make a play and to get out of his way ? “Had I thought. . . “, what do you mean Bartman, “Had I thought. . “ You IDIOT, you FOOL. I don’t want to hear how you didn’t know Alou was coming over to make the play. . . . . . when someone was screaming it into your headphones TELLING YOU to GET OUT OF THE WAY !

    #3, Because within his apologetic statement, and to add further curse to the legend, tells the story of what is to come in game 7:

    “To Moises Alou, the Chicago Cubs organization, Ron Santo, Ernie Banks, and Cub fans everywhere I am so truly sorry from the bottom of this Cubs fan’s broken heart. “

    Broken heart ? What broken heart. . . . Bartman ? We still have game 7. . . . . or are you saying that because of you, your stupid, game loosing and feeble attempt at a $15 major league baseball. . . . it was already over ?

    Steve Bartman, is the prognosticator and sole person who stood up of his own free will and accord, ignoring those around him and the magical voice of Andy Mazur in his ear and came between the 2003 Chicago Cubs and a trip to the World Series.

  40. The reason the Cubs, and their fans, remain losers is because they are willing to blame the loss of a 7-game series, with nearly two hundred outs, on a single out prevented by a bozo.

  41. Cubs’ curse reaches NFL

    AS REPORTED BY

    Mike Bianchi, Orlando Sentinel

    Published October 20, 2003

    Just think: If Steve Bartman, the infamous Cubs fan, had not interfered with that foul ball during the NLCS, the Cubbies likely would have closed out the Florida Marlins and gone to the World Series.

    And if the Cubbies had closed out the Marlins, the groundskeeper at Pro Player Stadium already would have covered the slick dirt infield with the gripping green grass of home.

    And if there were no dirt infield, Dolphins kicker Olindo Mare, one of the most accurate at his position in NFL history, would not have missed two late gimme field goals that cost his team a 19-13 overtime loss to the New England Patriots.

    This one’s on you, Steve Bartman.

    First, we had the Curse of the Cubs. Now we have the Ðámņáŧìøņ of the Dolphins.

  42. I’m sorry Jim. . . .

    Were there other issues beyond Steve Bartman’s control that contributed to the Cubs loosing game 6 & 7. . . sure there were. . . lots of them, Mark Prior, Alex Gonzalez, Dusty Baker. . and every other Cubs player that could have – should have. . . but in the end – didn’t !

    Bartman just opened the door, and it was all-downhill from that point forward. 39,600 Cubs fans sitting right there and another 9 million watching – can’t all be wrong. Watch the video, look at it closely, and see how Bartman’s arms are clearly extended beyond the brick wall into foul territory at Wrigley Field.

    Bartman and you too Mr. Thompson, are the real losers here. Neither of you have empathy for being a fan, you each have no dignity nor any of the desire to just admit fault, accept the consequences and move on.

    It’s a good thing people like you don’t multiply very well, otherwise the whole world would be filled with medaling idiots who chime-in how people shouldn’t be held responsible for their actions.

    Without recourse and without consequences . . . I guess life’s pretty easygoing in your neck of the woods !

  43. Stop blaming Steve Bartman, it wasn’t his fault that Chicago couldn’t win 4 Games out of 7. It’s just a game, it’s supposed to be fun not scary to go to a ball game. I can’t believe people reacted like that towards him, he’s one of us, not just a baseball fan but a human being and he doesn’t deserve to be treated like that.

    Anyway, we should always learn something from every situation, and I’ve learned this : Chicago is not paradise, life in there most be a living hëll, moving there?……..NO WAY !!!!!!!!!

  45. Stop blaming Steve Bartman, it wasn’t his fault that Chicago couldn’t win 4 Games out of 7. It’s just a game, it’s supposed to be fun not scary to go to a ball game. I can’t believe people reacted like that towards him, he’s one of us, not just a baseball fan but a human being and he doesn’t deserve to be treated like that.

    Anyway, we should always learn something from every situation, and I’ve learned this : Chicago is not paradise, life in there most be a living hëll, moving there?……..NO WAY !!!!!!!!!

  46. One comment to Bartman’s Boner about your comment #2 where you say that Bartman should have heard Andy Mazur yelling that Alou had a play…Bartman probably did not hear that…the radio broadcast has a small delay…he probably heard Andy Mazur immediately after the incident.

  47. Fact:

    It is Bartman’s fault. . . face it. . . there’s no other way to look at it. There is NO delay in WGN’s AM 720 broadcast whatsoever, it’s immediate. If you watch the Cubs on television which is broadcast on WGN and listen to the game at the same time, you’ll see there is a 6 second delay in what is broadcast over the television –vs- ZERO delay in the radio AM 720 broadcast. Trust me on this. . . I’ve often been to Wrigley Field, (over 20 times in 2003 alone), and listened to the game on WGN AM 720 thru a small sized Walkman, been watching it on a handheld 2.5 Sony color television, and actually there seeing what’s happening ON THE FIELD with my own eyes. There is no delay in what’s really happening on the field and what is broadcast over the AM radio airwaves on WGN AM 720. I was at game 6. . I was there. .in section 533 row 1 seat 15, (upper deck along right field). I had my Walkman on and was listening to the game on WGN AM 720. . . . . . there is NO delay !

    So. . . let’s go back to game 6. . . it’s the top of the 8th. . the Marlins have one out. . there’s a pop fly hit down the 3rd base line. . and as soon as Alou crosses over the foul line on his way to attempt a play on the ball. . . you can clearly hear the radio announcer yelling that Alou is coming over to make the play and that he’s going up into the seats. . . Mr. Steve Bartman, who is listening to the game, (which is being broadcast on WGN Radio AM 720) over his headphones. . . ignores what he’s hearing, ignores what’s going on around him, ignores his better sense of baseball ethics, (Bartman played baseball AND coaches for a little league team here in Illinois. . the “Renegades”), and obstructs Alou’s attempt at the foul ball. The rest is history. . . .

    Was he the sole person responsible for the Cubs loosing 3 straight games 5, 6 & 7 ? Absolutely not. Was he a factor in them loosing game 6 ? ABSOLUTELY – POSITIVELY – YES. Then he blatantly lies about not knowing Alou was trying to make a play on the ball, when he makes his apology. Does anyone think he wasn’t listening to the game on WGN AM 720 ? Does anyone think he was making a superb fashion statement by JUST WEARING headphones ? Does he look like the type that goes to the first NLCS game 6 at Wrigley Field in how many years, (like 45), then listens to his CD collection ?

    If anyone. . and I mean anyone, believes for any length of time, that good-ole Mr. Steve Bartman did not know Alou was coming over to make a play. . . then I pity that person. I pity that person because they can’t look at a picture and/or see a situation in which they can assimilate what’s happening.

    Was it Bartman’s fault the Cubs lost game 6. . . no it was not. Did he have something to do with the loss. . . . hëll- freaking- absolutely-beyond a doubt-YES.

    It’s one thing to be a paid player, coach or umpire and/or be on a roster and be on the field and screw-up. . . that’s normal, that’s why they get paid what they do. They accept responsibility, they accept blame, they accept the consequences of what they do, be it good, bad or indifferent. It is however something else to be some stooge in the stands – who is too stupid to listen to what is being broadcast over his headphones – and to cause/prevent/interfere with, any player, coach, umpire or security person ON the field, just because of his own will and accord. He should be held accountable, he should be blamed, and he should be sorry. . . .for the rest of his life. . . he should be sorry.

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