OT:ESPN 30 for 30 Steve Bartman on tonight
September 27th, 2011 at 8:01 PM ^
Thank you for reminding me.
September 27th, 2011 at 8:53 PM ^
Blaming Steve Bartman is ridiculous. One play doesn't decide a series. The Cubs made several errors after that. Fine, call it a curse. Cubs fans get off on calling it a curse. That's their whole identity.
September 27th, 2011 at 9:37 PM ^
And I still say, has the Cubs curse killed anyone? Or seriously injured a promising player?
September 28th, 2011 at 2:29 PM ^
Mark Prior and Kerry Wood say yes.
September 27th, 2011 at 8:04 PM ^
I am Steve Bartman. And those were borrowed headphones.
September 27th, 2011 at 9:27 PM ^
because I am Steve Bartman! And the green turtleneck was my lucky charm.
September 27th, 2011 at 9:55 PM ^
Oh, wait, wrong thread...
September 28th, 2011 at 8:51 AM ^
I'm Ron Burgandy?
September 28th, 2011 at 12:49 PM ^
I'm the bearded lady!
September 27th, 2011 at 8:09 PM ^
The guy deserves a freaking break. The Cubs would have found another way to fail. I've always thought that this was a defense mechanism and copout of projecting anger on Bartman for the Cubs long history of ineptitude.
That being said, should be a good show.
September 28th, 2011 at 8:57 AM ^
The Cubs have won 3 of the last 8 or 9 division titles. By contrast, the Brewers just won their first since 1982. Such ineptitude.
September 28th, 2011 at 9:12 AM ^
You're right.
The Cubs: the epitome of a successful modern franchise.
September 27th, 2011 at 8:13 PM ^
September 27th, 2011 at 8:14 PM ^
Hasn't Moises Alou said that he probably wouldn't have made the catch? But thanks for the reminder.
September 28th, 2011 at 7:34 AM ^
going after the out of the frame and it showed that Alou would have most likely caught the ball.
September 27th, 2011 at 8:14 PM ^
Hasn't Moises Alou said that he probably wouldn't have made the catch? But thanks for the reminder.
September 27th, 2011 at 8:56 PM ^
Yeah, IIRC, he said looking back at the replay he had no shot at getting to that ball.
September 27th, 2011 at 9:25 PM ^
He was probably trying to be nice and take heat off Bartman. They've shown the play a billion times in this documentary, and Alou had it.
September 27th, 2011 at 10:01 PM ^
I don't know if he had it, but he certainly had a shot at it. Would have been a hell of a play, I'd say 50/50 at best.
September 28th, 2011 at 12:06 AM ^
On the show, Alou says that he absolutely KNOWS he would have caught it. Cameras show there is a pretty good shot he would have caught it too. That being said, I'm fairly disgusted by the Cubs fans in the videos. Hearing them yell at the poor guy, the shit they said was unexcusable.
September 27th, 2011 at 8:15 PM ^
Not only did he catch that foul ball, but he bobbled the next ball that lead to a guy getting on base and then he gave up the next double or whatever that scored the run.
September 27th, 2011 at 8:16 PM ^
Also lost on Cubs fans is the fact that it would have only been 2 outs. If it were for three outs, I could understand the anger directed at him.
September 28th, 2011 at 5:01 PM ^
because it was only the 8th inning. Alex Gonzalez should be the Bill Buckner of the Cubs for botching the easy double play that would have ended the inning and prevented the eight runs the Marlins ended up scoring. Also, where is the sense of responsibility from the players. I didn't hear one pitcher who gave up some of the big hits to the Marlins in that inning say "it wasn't the fan's fault, it was mine for giving up the hits." And Dusty Baker was classless in the postgame interview blaming Bartman too. It's pathetic that all these cushy pro athletes only think about covering their asses and putting the blame on an innocent young guy like Bartman who by all accounts seems like a really good guy... I just hope he doesn't root for the Cubs anymore... Maybe he's become a Marlins fan.
September 27th, 2011 at 8:18 PM ^
Pretty sure Bartman was not interviewed for the documentary. Also pretty sure he's still in Florida or somewhere in hiding.
As a Cubs fan, depressed but proud, I do not blame Steve Bartman. Admittedly, I did blame him for a total of about 90 seconds when the play first happened (I was only 15 at the time). But let's not forget what happened afterward (as you'll learn or be reminded of from the documentary). In that same at bat, Alex Gonzalez dropped a sure-fire double play ball that would have ended the inning. Even then, we were sitll winning that game. Next, Dusty Baker left in Mark Prior, even though he was clearly rattled and had essentially thrown every pitch his arm was capable of throwing.
Also, even after the collapse of Game 6, WE STILL HAD GAME 7. And we had Kerry Wood starting in Game 7, one of the more dominant pitchers that year when his arm still functioned properly (notice the theme?) I have no ill will towards Steve Bartman, and I feel awful about the treatment he's received since that game. It's unfair to him and his family that some people really blame him for the ineptitude of a professional short stop, a stubborn manager, and the immaturity of Moises Alou. Just thought I'd thrown in a Cubs fan perspective
September 27th, 2011 at 9:10 PM ^
Still
September 27th, 2011 at 11:03 PM ^
I was mad at the fans for about as long as it took me to say what the hell. I was and am still pissed at the way Alou reacted. Alex Gonzalez????
September 27th, 2011 at 8:28 PM ^
Such an enigma. Wish he was interviewed for this film. Would love to hear the words from his mouth...
September 27th, 2011 at 8:41 PM ^
I never give Rudies a break. Typical Domer Geek
September 27th, 2011 at 8:44 PM ^
September 27th, 2011 at 8:51 PM ^
September 27th, 2011 at 9:52 PM ^
with the crowds reaction as Wrigley Field has no jumbotron of any sort for the crowd to see the replay of his reaction.
September 28th, 2011 at 6:27 AM ^
Half that game is 90% mental??????? WHAT???
September 28th, 2011 at 10:06 AM ^
They've done studies you know. 60% of the time it works every time.
September 28th, 2011 at 3:00 PM ^
September 27th, 2011 at 9:08 PM ^
The best part about the Bartman incident was the difference 4 seconds makes.
When the ball was going into the stands about 8 people were fighting like ravenous baboons to get in a position to catch it. Bartman touches the baseball, and all of those baboon people, who 4 seconds earlier were fighting Bartman for it, are glaring at him with murderous rage, and ultimately blame him for the game 6 collapse.
September 27th, 2011 at 9:05 PM ^
September 27th, 2011 at 9:18 PM ^
When I watch games in my living room, I yell at players, coaches, refs, and AMSHG. But when the game ends, it's over. I go on with life.
Sure, some stuff sticks with me for a while, like The Horror, the Evan Turner bomb, and OH MY GOD PITCH IT TO BREASTON, but I don't take it personally. I don't actually hold it against Tyler Ecker as a person. It's just a game.
With that said... PITCH THE BALL, MAN...
September 27th, 2011 at 9:35 PM ^
I had successfully repressed that memory you asshole.
September 27th, 2011 at 9:26 PM ^
Just watching that reaction again, I am positive he WAS in danger. Those people are despicable.
Even if Bartman didn't touch that ball, who thinks that Alou was guaranteed to catch that? MA wasn't an elite fielder. And Gonzalez....
To this day, I will feel worse for Bartman than the Cubs or any of those fans
September 27th, 2011 at 9:09 PM ^
The last hour is unbelievable. You walk away feeling bad for the guy.
September 27th, 2011 at 9:16 PM ^
Jesus, this guy got the shortest end of the longest stick. I watched the game on TV, and if it weren't for my northsider wife who JUMPED UP AND DOWN ON THE SOFA at that moment, it would never have clicked that someone could actually blame this guy.
September 27th, 2011 at 9:54 PM ^
Ok, the Ministor thing on the definition of Scapegoats, is dragging this out a little long.
Fuck Chicago...
September 27th, 2011 at 9:55 PM ^
I say f**k Alex Gonzalez. Top fielding percentage in the national league that year and boots an easy double play ball right after that. He's the real scapegoat to smart fans.
September 27th, 2011 at 9:57 PM ^
Half of it ended up being about the Red Sox with some Yankees sprinkled in.
September 27th, 2011 at 10:29 PM ^
I wanted the Red Sox to finally win a World Series so Ben Affleck could shut the hell up about the curse.
September 27th, 2011 at 10:42 PM ^
I wanted the Red Sox to finally win a World Series so Ben Affleck could to shut the hell up about the curse.
September 27th, 2011 at 11:09 PM ^
Okay, that's closer to the truth...but I liked him in....Mallrats and Dogma.
September 28th, 2011 at 8:43 AM ^
Daredevil never gets any respect {smirk}.
September 28th, 2011 at 5:08 PM ^
I noticed the same thing. This bullshit ESPN/Bill Simmons Boston bias. Nobody ooutside of Boston cares about the Red Sox. I think the only reason they turned the documentary about Bartman into a Red Sox-fest is that they couldn't land the big interview with Bartman himself. Since he turned them down they needed to talk to someone who experienced some sort of backlash like Bartman so they turned to Buckner. That said, they went overboard with the Red Sox crap and if I were a Cubs fan I'd have been pissed that the BoSox were hijacking my documentary/misery.
September 27th, 2011 at 10:00 PM ^
Leave it to Simmons to start off by turning a Chicago story into something about Boston. I mean really, luv ya Dennis Leary, but after the decade Boston has had, you have no right to hang your head about past tortures. If Michigan wins 5 National Titles or something, I promise not to complain about the Horror anymore.