Posted on 10/15/2003 5:18:37 PM PDT by My Favorite Headache
Unlucky Cubs fan says he's brokenhearted after deflecting ball Oct. 15, 2003 SportsLine.com wire reports
CHICAGO -- The fan who played in a key role in the Chicago Cubs ' collapse in Game 6 of the NL Championship Series apologized Wednesday, saying he was brokenhearted.
With the Cubs five outs from advancing to the World Series for the first time since 1945, Steve Bartman tried to grab a foul ball, preventing outfielder Moises Alou from catching it. That helped the Florida Marlins rally for an 8-3 victory to tie the NL Championship Series Tuesday night.
COMMENTARY Fan didn't lose Game 6 for Cubs -- Cubs did by Scott Miller
•What's Your Take? Tell Scott your opinion!
"I had my eyes glued on the approaching ball the entire time and was so caught up in the moment that I did not even see Moises Alou, much less that he may have had a play," Bartman said in a statement.
"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."
The 26-year-old Bartman was escorted by security guards from Wrigley Field after he was threatened by angry fans and pelted with debris.
Bartman apologized to Cubs fans everywhere, adding he was "truly sorry from the bottom of this Cubs fan's broken heart."
"I ask that Cub fans everywhere redirect the negative energy that has been vented towards my family, my friends, and myself into the usual positive support for our beloved team on their way to being National League champs," Bartman said.
Hours after the Marlins forced the decisive seventh game, Bartman was the talk of the town.
Angry broadcasters castigated him. A local newspaper found in an Internet poll that thousands of people blamed him for playing a role in the Cubs' loss. Even the governor weighed in.
"Nobody can justify any kind of threat to someone who does something stupid like reach for that ball," Gov. Rod Blagojevich said.
In Florida, Gov. Jeb Bush said an offer of asylum to Bartman might be a good idea, and an oceanfront retreat in Pompano Beach offered him a free three-month stay if he needed to get out of Chicago.
Earlier in the day, neighbors and other fans had various opinions on whether Bartman should have tried to catch the ball.
"If you are a fan who's been around for a while, you just know not to interfere with a player," said Don Emond, 66, a longtime season-ticket holder who was at the game. "I think these fans like that are sort of selfish or they don't really care about the consequences of what happened."
Bartman was described by neighbors as a youth baseball coach and such a big Cubs fan that he traveled to Arizona to see the team in spring training.
Don Kessinger went after countless popups near the stands while playing shortstop for the Cubs in the 1960s and '70s.
"I think he did what 40,000 people would have done," said Kessinger, now in the real estate business in Oxford, Miss.
Even Alou, who was initially furious, seemed to soften later.
"I kind of feel bad for the guy now, because every fan in every ballpark, their first reaction is they want a souvenir," he said. "Nobody's going to think about the outcome of the game."
AP NEWS The Associated Press News Service
Copyright 2003, The Associated Press, All Rights Reserved
Perhaps they should be scouting the Canadian or Eskimo leagues for some new talent that can help them out for next year's playoffs... Right, Dusty?
And that's another thing...why do hockey coaches and basketball coaches have to wear 3-piece suits??
It's only a game, not a formal dinner.
Well, your point needs some clarification -- if you're sitting ON THE OUTSIDE ROW DIRECTLY ON THE FIELD OF PLAY, then you MUST THINK about the possibility of interfering. ESPECIALLY if you're a serious baseball fan and you understand the game.
The Complete April 29, 1983
Lee Elia Press Conference Tirade
"*uck those *uckin' fans who come out here and say they're Cub fans that are supposed to be behind you rippin' every *uckin' thing you do. I'll tell you one *uckin' thing, I hope we get *uckin' hotter than shit, just to stuff it up them 3,000 *uckin' people that show up every *uckin' day, because if they're the real Chicago *uckin' fans, they can kiss my *uckin' ass right downtown and PRINT IT.
"They're really, really behind you around here... my *uckin' ass. What the *uck am I supposed to do, go out there and let my *uckin' players get destroyed every day and be quiet about it? For the *uckin' nickel-dime people who turn up? The mother*uckers don't even work. That's why they're out at the *uckin' game. They oughta go out and get a *uckin' job and find out what it's like to go out and earn a *uckin' living. Eighty-five percent of the *uckin' world is working. The other fifteen percent come out here. A *uckin' playground for the *ocksuckers. Rip them mother*uckers. Rip them *uckin' *ocksuckers like the *uckin' players. we got guys bustin' their *uckin' ass, and them *uckin' people boo. And that's the Cubs? My players get around here. I haven't seen it this *uckin' year. Everybody associated with this organization have been winners their whole *uckin' life. Everybody. And the credit is not given in that respect.
"Alright, they don't show because we're 5 and 14... and unfortunately, that's the criteria of them dumb 15 mother*uckin' percent that come out to day baseball. The other 85 percent are earning a living. I tell you, it'll take more than a 5 and 12 or 5 and 14 to destroy the makeup of this club. I guarantee you that. There's some *uckin' pros out there that wanna win. But you're stuck in a *uckin' stigma of the *uckin' Dodgers and the Phillies and the Cardinals and all that cheap shit. It's unbelievable. It really is. It's a disheartening *uckin' situation that we're in right now. Anybody who was associated with the Cub organization four or five years ago that came back and sees the multitude of progress that's been made will understand that if they're baseball people, that 5 and 14 doesn't negate all that work. We got 143 *uckin' games left.
"What I'm tryin' to say is don't rip them *uckin' guys out there. Rip me. If you wanna rip somebody, rip my *uckin' ass. But don't rip them *uckin' guys 'cause they're givin' everything they can give. And right now they're tryin' to do more than God gave 'em, and that's why we make the simple mistakes. That's exactly why."
Let's face it. He was going to get beat up, whether he caught that foul ball or not.
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