Dear Media: Leave Steve Bartman Alone

This is the full story that I summarized on the September 6th episode of the Stadium Scene Podcast.  I wanted to bring it back up for the start of the 2018 baseball season.

Essentially the summary of the story is to tell the media to stop bringing up Steve Bartman!  He doesn't owe anyone an explanation, an apology, or an interview.  Let the man and his family alone.  It's now almost 15 years since the incident occurred.  The Cubs have won the World Series and he has issued one more public statement than he owed anyone (he issued one).  

On October 14, 2003, myself and two friends skipped out of work and drove three hours up to Chicago to see if we could find standing room seats for Game 6 of the NLCS between the Florida (not Miami yet...) Marlins and the Chicago Cubs.  The Cubs were up 3-2 in the series and Mark Prior was pitching.  There was no way they weren't winning the game and going to the World Series for the first time since 1945.

As we got up to Wrigley and paid $60 to park down a back alley by someone's apartment, we made our way to a ticket scalper only to be disappointed in the fact that tickets were going for $450 per person for standing room only.  As an 18-year-old who was in college for all of two months at this point, that was not an option.  The streets around Wrigley were closed, police were everywhere and we were ready to party like it's 1945.

After making our rounds looking for possible tickets, we finally gave up and stood with a large group of fans on Waveland & Kenmore, just behind the Left Field bleachers.  It was electric and the Cubs were winning 3-0 late.  Then began the "Five more outs chant"...too bad that's when things went downhill.

Where my hopes and dreams were destroyed..until 2016 - Dave Herholz per Creative Commons

As most of you know, Marlins 2nd baseman, Luis Castillo was batting and hit a foul ball down the left field line.  Left fielder Moises Alou leaped and was unable to catch the ball because a fan by the name of Steve Bartman got in the way.  There was loud booing.  Being outside, we had no idea what was going on at the time.  A younger boy sitting at the corner of Waveland and Kenmore was watching the game on his battery powered tv and said: "Some asshole fan blocked Alou from catching it!".

"Some asshole fan blocked Alou from catching it."

Castillo reached.  Pudge reached.  Now Miguel Cabrera (who later became MVP Triple Crown winner Miguel Cabrera of the Detroit Tigers) hit a routine ground ball to Cubs SS, Alex Gonzalez.  He bobbled the ball and the inning continued.  The Marlins scored 8 runs and won 8-3.  As you all know, they won Game 7 and ended up winning the World Series this year and led to a lot of upset and disappointment.

What about Bartman?

I was pissed and shocked.  My friends were pissed and shocked.  Millions of Cubs fans around the world were pissed and shocked.  Unfortunately, Mr. Bartman unfairly received the bulk of the criticism that night and for many years.  A local newspaper published his name and home address in the suburbs of Chicago and unfairly ruined his life.

Although to be honest, most Cubs fans let it go and from the many Cubs fans, I interacted with over the years following, most people didn't blame him.  Raw emotion took over that night and I was one of them.  For that Mr. Bartman, I am sorry.

Unfortunately for him, in the years after, the media would bring up "The Curse of Steve Bartman", year after year.  Each time the Cubs season ended in disappointment, or the three playoff appearances in the years after that also ended up in disappointment, that would always be brought up.

It's well documented that the Cubs have tried to make peace with Mr. Bartman throughout the years and he repeatedly said he wants to be left alone and he doesn't want to be a distraction to the team.  Since the Cubs have won, the team made a gracious offer of presenting a Championship ring to Mr. Bartman to officially put the issue to bed.  The Cubs have snapped their title drought and the fans and media should let it go.

Steve Bartman's Championship Ring Source: Chicago Cubs

The Media

I'm not a journalist.  I'm just some random jerk who is smart enough to set up a blog.  I never went to journalism school and I should never be confused as a journalist.  That being said as a voice of reason and common sense, I want to symbolically slap the members of the press who won't let this go.

David Haugh wrote a ridiculous article in the August 1st edition of the Chicago Tribune saying that for proper closure we needed to see and hear from Mr. Bartman.  He argues that he needs to come out and lead "Take Me Out To The Ballgame" or throw out a first pitch to "humanize" him. Come on, man.  He's been through enough...for what, being in the wrong place at the wrong time?  Going for a foul ball like the other people in his row?  Sorry Dave and everyone else foaming at the mouth for an interview.   He doesn't owe anyone squat.

Leave the man alone. 


This post was proofread by Grammarly