Remember Steve Bartman? That happened 12 years ago today
It was on Oct. 14, 2003, that Steve Bartman entered Cubs infamy.
The Cubs are having a mighty fine postseason right about now, but because theirs is a history stuffed with cosmic-seeming misfortune, all joy is bridled joy. That brings us to This Day In Cubs History. It was on Oct. 14, 2003 in Game 6 of the NLCS between the Marlins and Cubs that this happened ...
Bartman's story is already written, but that he endures as the villain of the Cubs' playoff collapse that year is inane in the extreme. Moises Alou, a few years after the play you saw above, admitted that he couldn't have caught the ball. As well, any number of fans were lunging for the ball ...

That, by the way, is what most fans would do by force of instinct -- even the ones who were hurling beer and threats and whatever else at Bartman as he was escorted from the ballpark by security.
Also, here's the Baseball-Reference play log for that particular inning ...

Survey the smoking husk above -- eight runs scored after Bartman and company prevented Alou from not being able to catch Luis Castillo's foul ball -- and try to plausibly assert that Bartman played even a cameo role in causing the Cubs to lose Game 6. Bulletin: The Cubs caused the Cubs to lose Game 6. As for the 2015 NLDS, they won that, you know.
As for Mr. Bartman, don't forgive him because there's nothing to forgive.















