Steve Bartman is my hero
No Steve, please! The Cubs are all I have to live for! (AP)
If you don't know who Steve Bartman is, he's the Chicago Cubs fan who in 2003 cost the Cubs their first chance to go to the World Series in more than a half century. That's what some Cubs fans will say, anyway.
Bartman attempted to catch a fly ball that was drifting into the stands, taking away the chance for the Cubs' Moises Alou to make the catch. That was with one out in the eighth inning, and after that the Cubs collapsed, blew a 3-0 lead and lost. The Cubs later lost the series.
IT WAS BARTMAN'S FAULT!!!
This poor guy, a diehard Cubs fan, became the scapegoat. Never mind that Cubs shortstop Alex Gonzalez muffed a ground ball a couple minutes later that would've got the Cubs out of the inning.
Bartman had to go pretty much into hiding. He doesn't go to games anymore. He's stalked by "media" who give the media a bad name. I really feel sorry for the guy.
But I feel more sorry for any Cubs fans who still want to hurt Bartman -- seriously, one guy in a story recently said he wanted to break Bartman's knees -- because they are despicable human beings. If you're really going to blame one guy for the Cubs woes, good luck with the rest of your life. Enjoy wallowing in your self-pity.
Anyway, good luck to the Cubs this year. I guess their fans have waited long enough for a winner. But remember, Cubbies fans, if your team flames out this week, it's not because of a curse. Or Steve Bartman. Or because everything in the world is against you. It's because your team, for like the 99th straight season, wasn't good enough.
And keep smiling. Because -- and I know this might sound crazy coming from a sports writer -- it's just a game.
It's not something really serious. Like ruining a guy's life.