Cubs fan Steve Bartman, the poor sap, reached for a foul ball. But not just any foul ball. He grabbed at his during Game Six of the National League Championship Series, and he all but took it out of left-fielder Moises Alou’s glove.
Then he got a police escort out of Wrigley Field and a plethora of refreshments hurled directly at his head.
He is Chicago’s most wanted, the guy who cost the Cubs a trip to the World Series. Never mind that Alou may not have caught the ball. Never mind shortstop Alex Gonzalez’s costly error or the repeated failures of the pitching. Never mind that maybe the Marlins just played better or wanted it more.
Nope. It’s all Steve’s fault.
Poor guy. All he wanted was a scuffed baseball-you know, take the legend home with you. Instead, he’s part of the legend, one more addition to the notorious Cubs curse.
The Cubs, for those of you who don’t know, have not won a World Series since 1908. Their fans are surprisingly loyal considering that very few know anyone who was even alive in 1908.
They seem to keep their faith mainly by blaming their 95-year losing streak on a series of bad luck and curses. There are, to name a few, the Billy Goat curse of 1945, the Black Cat of 1969, and now the Foul Fan of 2003.
This is not actually the first Foul Fan in history. In 1996, 12-year-old Jeffrey Maier reached over the right field wall of Yankee Stadium and caught a would-be out for a Yankee’s home run.
There’s just one small difference between the situations. Maier was hailed as a hero; Bartman became public enemy number one.
“I think it’s very unfair to blame that young man,” said Cubs manager Dusty Baker. “I’m just glad we weren’t in a cowboy movie and they had vigilante parties, because they would have hung him from the highest tree.”
Death threats, reporters, a public apology. This is a lot for one fan to deal with.
Rumor has it that Bartman is getting some glory from his ordeal. According to SportsIllustrated.com, “Gov. Jeb Bush said an offer of asylum might be a good idea, and an oceanfront retreat in Pompano Beach is offering [Bartman] a free three-month stay.”
Some have said a south Florida corporation hired him on the spot and moved him down to sunnier Marlin’s territory. And trade publication the Daily Variety reported that Bartman also inspired independent Revolution Studios to make a movie called Fan Interference.
So maybe his life won’t be hell forever. In the meantime, he has issued a public apology and gone into hiding.
“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,” Bartman said.
Maybe he’ll be forgiven when he gets out of Witness Protection.