Photo of the Year (Cub Collapse Spares No One)

Chicago Tribune ^ | October 16, 2003 | The Cruel Hand of Fate

[Qwinn]

The fan seemed to genuinely feel sorry for what he did and to take responsibility for his actions. In addition, the events really do seem to be an accident, as opposed to malfeasance.

As such, I don't believe there's any possible way he could've been wearing a Hillary '04 T-shirt. It would totally go against the grain.

Qwinn

[RedBloodedAmerican]

Hey, I was disappointed, too. I had hoped (and stated on R weeks ago) that I would like to have seen a Sox v Cubs matchup as my first choice. Sad thing all the way around.

[RedBloodedAmerican]

But, one good thing; the Cubs now know where their weaknesses lie, so they can buy/trade for next year.

[NYC Republican]

Coming from anyone else, I would just ignore a comment like that, but you New Yorkers are experts in disgraceful behavior. New York sports fans lead the Nation in disgraceful behavior. No, maybe the world. Maybe Yankee fans would like to invite 'the goatboy' to sit on their 3rd base line. I'm sure Cub fans wouldn't object. ;^)

I'm not a Yankee fan for starters. Secondly, own up to the fact that your team CHOKED! They had several opportunities to win, and failed to meet the challenge. A single bone-headed move doesn't create a condition where the Cubs give up 8 runs, and choke the next day as well. Put the blame where it belongs, instead of trying personal attacks on NYers.

[NYC Republican]

Exactly. It isn't the fan's fault that Dusty Baker left Prior to twist in the wind after it was apparent he didn't have his stuff anymore. Or that Alex Gonzalez muffed that grounder. Or that Farnsworth was horrible. Ultimately that play had nothing to do with the outcome.

It was a foul ball, period. Steve Bartman didn't walk that same batter, didn't boot an easy grounder, didn't give up 5 hits afterwards...

I'll reiterate what I've said before. What if the fly ball went 2 feet further into the stands... The Cubs still couldn't make the play, same exact conditions exist... Who would they blame then?

If that single play so disrupted the multi-millionaires who are expected to play under pressure, if it created the collective collapse of a team 5 outs from the WS, if they're not mentally strong enough to overcome that play - where they were up 3-0, then they deserve to go home and get an early jump on Arizona's golf courses. Good riddance.

[discostu]

One of the things that makes baseball interesting is the vast quantity of bizarre incidents, seems there are a couple in every playoff (the Steve thing and the foul poll in the Yankees/ Red Sox series jump to mind). None of the other sports I've ever followed seem to have so many things happen that make people scratch their heads in confusion. This is just another one that shall fade into the memories of fans all over, it's already calming down. IMHO they should make some sort of 7th inning stretch contest out of this for the regular season, the minor leagues of baseball and hockey are filled with contest based on some wierd incident.

Time to resume the traditional greeting of a Cubs fan:
Maybe next year.

[Lancey Howard]

Hmmm.... Okay, I guess I was mistaken. I thought the foul ball came from Pierre's bat during his long at-bat. But you are right - - two outs and then the grounder would have considerably lessened the chance that the Cubs get bombed for 8, count 'em 8, runs.

And that late in the game, Prior was throwing too many pitches in a single inning. Baker should have pulled him, or at the very least, visited the mound to give Prior a minute to regroup.

Funny thing is, last night Wood threw 33 pitches in the 1st inning. I said to my son at the time that Wood could not withstand any 15-plus-pitch innings later in the game. But Baker blew it again, leaving Wood in there later in the game after a couple of full-count walks, and an inning that had Kerry throwing way too many pitches. Baker finally pulled him with two outs, but it was too late. The Marlins had the lead and they never looked back.

[Hegewisch Dupa]

But isn't there an argument to be made that hitting the rail would be akin to in the stands? My precedent would be a ball that hits the top of the wall in fair territory - a home run. That could be viewed as calling the rail outside field of play.

[discostu]

The core of the team right now is both pretty solid and young. They've got good starting pitching that's young and the infield is a little shakey, the outfield is slow but skilled, batting isn't too bad. The bullpen is weak and made weaker by Dusty's tendency to leave pitchers on the mound too long. And hey, it was a better season than they've had since the LCS was invented. Time to start whistling Monty Python tunes, pitchers report in about 4 months.

[RedBloodedAmerican]

Maybe next year.

Sad saying.

[MattAMiller]

I think the whole country (Miami excluded) is feeling for you Cubs fans. Most people I've talked to out here were really pulling for them.

[Lockbar]

"Meanwhile, in the background it appears Obi Wan Kenobi and Darth Vader stopped fighting long enough to mourn the Cubs loss too."

G-Man, you are way too funny!!! Thats a good one. :-)

[scouse]

The Marlins punched their World Series ticket Wednesday, defeating the hard-luck Cubs 9-6 before 39,574 shell-shocked fans at Wrigley Field. The Cubs, who haven't won the Series since 1908 and haven't reached the Series in 58 years, were defeated by an 11-year-old franchise that will be chasing its second title in six years.

[discostu]

The bad part about post season dreams is that for most fans of most teams they don't come true. John Madden has a saying going into the NFL playoffs: 12 teams are going in with dreams and only one will win their last game. Having been a Cubs fan for a long time I've learned I'd rather be a fan whose dream didn't come true than a fan that didn't get to dream at all. It was a great regular season (Cubs fans don't get to say that very often), won a round in the playoffs (Cubs fans never get to say that), and we played in one of the best LCS since that round was added (many teams fans never get to say that). So I think "maybe next year" is a little more peppy this time than usual.

[RedBloodedAmerican]

Thats true. And I heard this was the first time both LCS series went to 7 games. I'm series here.

[discostu]

Not as cool a record as it sounds. The LCS is pretty new and was 5 games until around 85 (I forget when exactly). But still pretty cool. And hey we got great ratings, maybe helped baseball as a whole which has been having some popularity issues. OK we had 3 bad innings in 2 good games (I hold nothing against the team for game 5 Beckett was like a god on the mound and earned that complete game shutout), that's life sometimes. During the NHL playoffs there are occassional triple (or better) overtime games, I always say the same thing when the teams come out for that 6th period of play "the bad part about this is somebody is going to have to lose this game". Well the bad part about both the NLCS and ALCS this year is somebody has to/ had to lose them, that's what sport is all about though.

[4Freedom]

Nice try. There's plenty of blame to go around, but 'goatboy' shares the blame.

If 'goatboy' keeps his hands to himself, as a 26-year-old baseball coach should know to do, game 6 is a different game.

[Revolting cat!]

That's what you get when you send Baby Bears to do grownup bears job! The Chicago Bears would of won it, I tell ya!

[4Freedom]

It's all academic thanks to the 'goatboy'.

[Crusher138]

Good enought to repeat...

The Marlins punched their World Series ticket Wednesday, defeating the hard-luck Cubs 9-6 before 39,574 shell-shocked fans at Wrigley Field. The Cubs, who haven't won the Series since 1908 and haven't reached the Series in 58 years, were defeated by an 11-year-old franchise that will be chasing its second title in six years.

Let see...

The Cubs were ahead in the series 3 games to 1.

The Marlins came back from serious deficits in three of their four wins.

The Marlins are only one of 5 teams to ever win a series after being down 3 games to 1.

The Marlins have done this with an old, cast aside coach, a combination of inexperienced and past-their-prime players, no BIG pitching stars, no BIG hitting stars.

Ya' gotta love the fish...