"Aisle 4 Row 8 Seat 113"

Aisle 4 row 8 seat 113. The seat that "changed" Cubs history. That was where Steve Bartman sat on the eve of October 14th, 2003 for game 6 of the 2003 NLCS. He walked into Wrigley Field that evening as an unknown die hard Cubs fan. He left as the most hated person in the city of Chicago. He did what almost any other sports fan would of done. He tried catching a foul ball. If you have ever been to the ballpark and had a ball hit near you that's what you do, you try to catch it. I got three in one game in Minute Maid Park in Houston one time. I gave them all to the little kids sitting around me though. Bartman wasn't the only man who reached for that foul ball. Nor was he playing shortstop on that easy ground ball that AlexGonzalez bobbled. Nor was he one of the Cubs pitchers who squandered a three run lead when they only needed five outs to get to the world series. He was just a fan doing what fans do.


After watching the documentary ESPN did on him tonight and seeing the way Cubs fans treated him initially and how some still do to this day it made me wonder. Why do Cubs fans or any fans for that matter go to this extreme at times. Fans were throwing beer at him, chanting obscene names at him, and yelling death threats at him. I heard one fan on the documentary say, " Put a 12 gauge in his mouth and pull the trigger." Really? Is that not a little too far? I understand the frustrations that Cubs fans have built up over the years if losing, and quite honestly I think they are some of the more passionate fans in the country. I don't know how they do it year after year. I then tried to think of personal experiences that I have had with teams that I am a fan of that experienced heart breaking losses in my life time. I remember sitting in the Georgia Dome by myself in Atlanta during the 2009 SEC championship game in the Alabama section when they crushed Florida 32-13. I sat in silence most of the 3rd and 4th quarters trying to figure out how they could lose during Tim Tebow's senior year when they weren't suppose to lose. I remember making the hour drive back to my place with the stereo off ,cell phone off, and in complete silence just reliving certain plays that went wrong. I had simialr feelings when the Colts lost to the Steelers on a Mike Vanderjagt missed field goal and when the Pacers lost game 7 of the 1998 Eastern Conference Finals against the Chicago Bulls. I don't think any of them match the way Cubs fans felt after that game with the Bartman incident.

This was a man that was hated. Sports has this way of getting inside people. We live for the chance to watch our team win, and when they don't we need to put the blame on someone or something. Sports gives people the chance to forget about whatever is going on in there lives for a few hours. They feel a sense of belonging with the other fans and even the team. I remember exactly where I was when great sports moments happened for the teams I cheer for. I even remember being in my college dorm during this game that everyone now calls "The Bartman Game"

Had you ever wondered what if the Cubs won game 7 and went on to the world series? How would that change the way Bartman is thought of in Chicago? People would forget about it because as long as the Cubs won that is all that mattered. It is 8 years later but there is still this mystique around that event. What is he doing now? How come he hasn't done any interviews? Will we ever hear or see from him about the incident? I can't speak for Cubs fans but I think it is time for them to let go of this and forgive the guy for just doing what any other baseball fan would of done.