What did you think of that play? If that was a Marlin trying to catch that ball, I'm sure they would have called fan interference. It changed the whole momentum of the inning, Prior was starting to struggle. You can't say that fan completely blew it for the Cubs, but he sure didn't help much.

I didn't see it but I'll tell you I would be pretty pissed off if I did.

Yeah I saw that the Marlons were happy they were winning... Sorry guys... I really want the Cubs to win too. Sammy Sosa is one of my fav baseball stars...:D

1. It was a Cubs Fan
2. Why do you think they would've called it if it was the Marlins instead?
3. That guy trying to catch it's got hops!
4. Go Marlins!

The pressure is going to be on the cubs in the next game. It must be very hard to beat these curses.

I think it was a natural reaction for any fan to go after a foul ball. You're right TJ when you say it didn't help the Cubs, but at the same time Prior was beginning to struggle in the 8th so who knows.

They showed it 7489332 times on Good Day Live. Dude, that catcher was MAD. I would be too. They said the guy who caught the ball had to be escorted out in a different jacket. People were spitting on him and throwing all kinds of stuff at him. Im paying more close attention to the Yankees/Sox so it wasnt a big deal to me. But the thing is.. that guy wasnt the only one going after the ball.. everyone around him was!

Yes!! That jerk cost them the game!! He knows better not to reach out and catch the ball when the player is trying to reach for the ball. He did cost them!! Big Time!!!!!!!!! :mad: :mad:

Okay I feel bad for this guy. Here's my theory.

1- Anyone else would've done the same thing. It's a natual reaction. You're at a baseball game...you see a ball coming...you try to catch it. They probably didnt even realize what was happening.

2- Moises Alou prolly wasn't gonna catch it in the first place. It was CLOSE.

3- That SO did not lose the game for them. If he would've caught it, it woulda been 2 outs. The Marlins got their 8 point lead with 2 outs anyways.




I hate the Cubs. (GO SOX)

to me i think alou had a pretty good chance of catching it if it wasnt interferred. but i dont think thats the reason why they lost though. i hope cubs win tonight go cubs

It has always been a huge pet peeve of mine about fans reaching into the field of play and potentially interfering with the game. That play was borderline. I guess you can allow the guy some slack becase it was such a close call between in or out of play. I'd say about 50% of people in the same position might have made the same mistake. I don't suspect that the guy did it as a Marlin's fan or did it on purpose.

The umpires could easily have called fan interference, in which case it would have been an automatic out. It was a close call in that regard though too. It is very possible that the inning would have ended before those runs later scored if the Cubs would have gotten that out. So, for the Cubs and all of their fans and all of us outsiders pulling for the Cubs that was a disastor. The fan must be on the edge of his sorry seat hoping that the Cubs win tonight. He's probably concerned for his safety now along with wanting the Cubs to win. That's too bad but I'll bet it's true.

Originally posted by Kitt
The fan must be on the edge of his sorry seat hoping that the Cubs win tonight. He's probably concerned for his safety now along with wanting the Cubs to win. That's too bad but I'll bet it's true.
I was thinking the same thing. I think the guy exercised poor judgement, but I do feel bad for him. Here in Boston, I've heard a few analogies to him and Billy Buckner (if the Cubs lose).
I saw the statement that he released. He apologized. I feel very bad for him. I think he's taking too much blame for what happened.
Man, I hope the Cubs win for his sake.

Cubs Fan Who Tried to Grab Foul Ball Issues Apology
Says He Didn't See Cubs' Alou Come Over to Railing

By DON BABWIN, AP SPORTS

CHICAGO (Oct. 15) -- 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 on Tuesday night.

"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, a youth baseball coach, was escorted by security guards from Wrigley Field after he was threatened by angry fans and pelted with debris.

A police guard was posted outside the suburban Northbrook home where he lives with his parents. His brother-in-law - who read the statement to the media - said Bartman was "hiding somewhere. He just wants to move on and he wants the Cubs to win."

Bartman apologized to Cubs fans and ex-players, including Ron Santo and Ernie Banks.

"I am so truly sorry from the bottom of this Cubs fan's broken heart," he said.

"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 a Web 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.

• Fan Not Responsible for Cubs Loss

"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 such a big Cubs fan that he traveled to Arizona to see the team in spring training.

In brief comments to reporters before going inside his home, Bartman's father defended his son.

"I taught him well," Ted Bartman said. "I taught him to catch foul balls when he comes near them."

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."


10/15/03 20:09 EDT

The Fan did not cost the Cubs the game. As has been stated here already, it is the natural reaction for any fan sitting near the stands and has a ball coming towards him to reach up and try to catch the ball. It was going to be a foul ball anyway, it's not like the ball was in play. He was reaching up, and Alou just happened to be there. He was not the sole reason why the Cubs lost, there was an error by Alex Gonzalez that was pretty costly, too. Sure, it didn't help that there was contact with the fan, and Alou probably would've caught the ball. But the Cubs still could've won the game. This wouldn't even have been an issue if the Cubs won!

Originally posted by TradingMooses
Okay I feel bad for this guy. Here's my theory.

1- Anyone else would've done the same thing. It's a natual reaction. You're at a baseball game...you see a ball coming...you try to catch it. They probably didnt even realize what was happening.

2- Moises Alou prolly wasn't gonna catch it in the first place. It was CLOSE.

3- That SO did not lose the game for them. If he would've caught it, it woulda been 2 outs. The Marlins got their 8 point lead with 2 outs anyways.




I hate the Cubs. (GO SOX)
2. GDL said that Alou said he 'def. would have caught it.' How can he be so sure?

3. And yeah, they were losing anyways. And like someone said.. the ump couldve called an interferance if he wanted too.




:mrt:

I feel bad for the guy as well, I wanted to see the Cubs win that series anyway and then especially after that incident, just so that fan could be let off the hook by people who thought it was his fault. Hopefully other Cubs fans wont place the blame on him for losing the series. Even if you'd want to say he was responsible for the Cubs losing that game, they still lost three other games that he had nothing to do with. Cubs fans should look at their team, not Steve Bartman.

Originally posted by vashti1999
I feel bad for the guy as well, I wanted to see the Cubs win that series anyway and then especially after that incident, just so that fan could be let off the hook by people who thought it was his fault. Hopefully other Cubs fans wont place the blame on him for losing the series. Even if you'd want to say he was responsible for the Cubs losing that game, they still lost three other games that he had nothing to do with. Cubs fans should look at their team, not Steve Bartman.



Bartman better consider moving to Florida

Just like bad umpire calls, this is all PART OF THE GAME! How long it's been since the Cubs have won a World series or whatever, how many outs there were, or anything else, it's PART OF THE GAME. Flukes happen. While I would be mad too, I would NOT spit on the person and throw things at him and drag it on for days and days. I think it's stupid to put him in the paper and TV too, continuously. And one idiotic paper in Chicago actually released his name, I heard.

I saw it last night on TV that the Florida Marlins won the American League Championship and headed to the World Series after losing to the Cubs. I hope the Yankees win.