More info on the bastard Cubs Fan - Steve Bartman - Dallas-Mavs.com Forums

madape · 10-15-2003, 12:24 PM

Man in stands described as diehard fan
October 15, 2003

BY ANNIE SWEENEY, FRANK MAIN AND CHRIS FUSCO

The man some fans blame for Tuesday night's Cubs loss because he reached out and touched a foul ball that Moises Alou was trying to catch is a diehard Cubs fan who coaches youth baseball in the north suburbs.

Steve Bartman, 26, works at Hewitt Associates, an international consulting firm in Lincolnshire.

"He is an associate at Hewitt, and he is not coming to work today because of the incident," Suzanne Zagata-Meraz, a spokeswoman for Hewitt, said this morning. "That was a decision that Steve and [Human Resources] made together. We have been in contact with Steve."

A man who answered the door at the Northbrook home where friends and a neighbor said Bartman grew up defended him, saying he only did what came naturally when a foul ball came his way.

"He's a huge Cubs fan," said the man, who responded to "Mr. Bartman." "I'm sure I taught him well. I taught him to catch foul balls when they come near him."

He declined to say any more and would not confirm what relation he is to Steve Bartman.

A neighbor, Ron Cohen, said he has known the Bartman family for 20 years. He and others said Bartman was a graduate of the University of Notre Dame who played for and is now a coach for the Renegades, an elite youth baseball club in Niles.

Cohen said he saw Bartman on Sunday and that Bartman told him then that he had tickets to Tuesday's game.

"He felt great he got tickets to the game," said Cohen, 63.

Cohen was watching the game on TV with his son, who grew up with "Stevie," when they recognized the man in the Renegades shirt.

"I really was just surprised," said Cohen, who called Bartman's mother. "I think it's just a natural tendency. Everybody reaches. I'm not trying to defend him, but I think it's just a natural tendency. He may not have seen Alou coming."

He described Bartman as a baseball fanatic.

"He's a good kid, a wonderful son, never in any trouble," Cohen told a Sun-Times reporter. "I don't think he should be blamed at all. People reach for balls. This just happened to be a little more critical. If Florida didn't score all the runs, you wouldn't be standing here."

A parent whose son played baseball for the Renegades last year echoed Cohen's description of Bartman.

"He was a fine guy. He was a good baseball coach to my son," said Roger Shimanovsky, 41. "Believe me, I'm sure nobody feels worse about this than him."

Bartman is listed as a coach of the Renegades' 13-year-old team this year, according to the organization's Web site.

He also was a player on a 1992 Renegades team that finished with 47 wins and 10 losses. The team was the Palatine League champion and the Pekin Fourth of July tournament champion.

The home where Bartman grew up backs up to a baseball field where his dad would hit pop-ups for him and his friends to catch, said Ron Cohen's son, Gary Cohen, 34. He said Bartman's favorite player growing up was Cubs second baseman Ryne Sandberg.

madape · 10-15-2003, 12:29 PM

Here's his homepage at ND

http://web.archive.org/web/199706160...edu/~sbartman/

Drbio · 10-15-2003, 12:35 PM

If the Cubs don't win today this guy is going to have to move to get peace and quiet. Very unfortunate.

dallas_esq · 10-15-2003, 12:38 PM

Oh man, this guy is an eternal dork. I am praying for the Cubs to win for his sake. His life will still never be the same. He was a ball player himself for petes sakes.

madape · 10-15-2003, 12:56 PM

I wonder if he'll get fired over this, considering he wasn't allowed to come to work today.

Big Boy Laroux · 10-15-2003, 12:58 PM

wow... i'm surprised they're releasing all this stuff...

anyway, hewitt is one of our clients! maybe i can find out some stuff about him... [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

dallas_esq · 10-15-2003, 01:02 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by: madape
I wonder if he'll get fired over this, considering he wasn't allowed to come to work today.

I think he was allowed to NOT come to work today. His co-workers would have eaten him alive.

TheLou · 10-15-2003, 01:24 PM

I really hope you people aren't calling for this guys head like thousands of cubs fans are. He did what hundreds of fans do everyday during the baseball season, try to catch a FOUL ball that was in the stands. Alou had to jump to even attempt to get to the ball.

That was just one out, which wasn't even a guaranteed catch, given the long run and jump for Alou, surely the fact that after that they failed to get the out then gave up 8 runs have nothing to do with the fact the Cubs lost.

Lou!

Nicky31 · 10-15-2003, 01:47 PM

I feel sorry for this guy. I mean, the guy is a fellow Cub's fan, and everyone is blaming him for a freak accident on the Cub's loss when the guy wasn't even playing on the field. The team should be at fault; not the fans. Seeing and hearing the Cub's fan's reaction to this whole event makes me want to root for the Cub's for this guys safety.

Go Cub's! I remember a time when taking your kid to the baseball game and having a hotdog was to be considered a fun way to spend an evening...

It's funny how times change..[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-sad.gif[/img]

Big Boy Laroux · 10-15-2003, 01:55 PM

lou, check out the other thread on this forum (The Cubs are Cursed!)... pretty much everyone is not blaming this guy.

now, that doesn't speak for all fans in chicago...

TheLou · 10-15-2003, 02:10 PM

Well, I saw those, but I was refering to the topic of this thread, "the bastard Cubs Fan"??? sounds like someone is blaming him.

Lou!

madape · 10-15-2003, 02:11 PM

I think it's hilarious that after all the pain and disappointment Cubs fans have put themselves through over the years, that a FAN is the reason they might not go to the series. They are their own worst enemies. Poor Cubs Fans. Poor, poor Cubs fans.

jayC · 10-15-2003, 02:30 PM

What about Alex Gonzalez for not grabbing the ground ball. Most fans would try to make the catch it wasn't fan interference. Dusty Baker didn't pull out a tired mark prior. The fate of the cubs doesn't rest with one fan.

Besides Kerry wood takes the mound.

jmiles65 · 10-15-2003, 04:02 PM

I feel bad for him.
Stupid cubs, they don't realize that the Marlins just kicked their ass...

MavsFanatik33 · 10-15-2003, 05:06 PM

Whether or not they didn't catch the foul ball, shouldn't of mattered. If they are going to let The Marlins score 8 runs in one inning on them, they deserve to lose.
Or....maybe they are just cursed.

dallas_esq · 10-15-2003, 06:44 PM

They may lose, and if they do, Bartman will be the biggest poster boy EVER. He can convert this into 15 minutes of fame.

grbh · 10-15-2003, 07:20 PM

Get the website address now

Ebay link

dallas_esq · 10-15-2003, 07:31 PM

Marlins up 3-0, doesn't look good for Bartman.

Simon2 · 10-15-2003, 08:25 PM

If the Cubs lose, he better move to Florida. Can you imagine being this guy right now? Kinda reminds me of the time some goalie was killed in soccer. Cubs lead by 2, 5-3. Looking good for Bartman.

FreshJive · 10-16-2003, 04:57 AM

Bartman offered asylum in Florida. lol

link

Simon2 · 10-16-2003, 08:19 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by: FreshJive
Bartman offered asylum in Florida. lol

link

Poor guy, I think he should take it. He won't be able to live long enough to hear the end of it. I can see it now in some trivia game or show, "What was the name of the fan that interfered with the Cubs in 2003?"

FreshJive · 10-16-2003, 07:02 PM

I would definately take it. Its almost like a free vacation. He will be a mini celeb down there. I don't know what he's going to do after his free stay is up, though.

mary · 10-16-2003, 07:46 PM

I could almost forgive them releasing his name, but then to publish his place of work and the name of the Youth team he coached, that was uncalled for. Its too bad the Chicago media couldn't have practiced a little restraint.

So F'em. When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. Move to Florida and become a Marlins fan. He would be greatly revered there.

dallas_esq · 10-16-2003, 08:25 PM

This guy could parlay this into much money. Only in America.

mary · 10-16-2003, 08:30 PM

Maybe he could write a book.

"My Foul Life as a Cubs Fan"

grbh · 10-16-2003, 08:59 PM

Let's make a movie about it

Link
Studio plans 'Fan Interference' movie

Report: Movie already planned based on Cubs fan blamed for keeping his team out of World Series.
October 16, 2003: 5:03 PM EDT

NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - A Chicago Cubs fan reaching for a foul ball, an action blamed by some for keeping the team out of the World Series, has already inspired plans for a movie, according to a published report.

Trade publication Daily Variety reports that Revolution Studios has accepted a pitch for a movie tentatively titled "Fan Interference." The movie is expected to star TV sitcom star Kevin James of the CBS show "King of Queens." Variety said it would tell the story of a fan who screws up an easy out, and then has to deal with the ramifications.

In the 8th inning of Tuesday's game in which Chicago led 3-0, Steven Bartman, sitting in the front row of the stands along the left field foul line, reached for and deflected a foul ball that Cubs left fielder Moises Alou was trying to catch. The other team, the Florida Marlins, built on that break to score 8 runs in the inning and win the game, and then won again Wednesday night to advance to the 2003 World Series.

While many Cubs players and baseball analysts have said that Bartman should not be blamed for the team's collapse, many Cubs fans have directed anger at Bartman for costing the team the game and, ultimately, the league championship. As National League Champions, the Cubs would have played in the World Series, something the team hasn't done in 58 years. A picture of Bartman at the game Tuesday night has shown up in several Internet spoofs, some of which cross the line from humorous to threatening.

The game and Bartman's play have already become nationally famous. The game itself was watched live by about one in eight U.S. homes Tuesday night, and about 20 percent of those who were watching television Tuesday night. It has since been replayed repeatedly on news and sports reports.

Revolution Studios is a privately-held independent studio which is majority owned by former 20th Century Fox and Disney chairman Joe Roth. It has investments from Sony Pictures Entertainment and Fox, which also broadcast the game on its television network. Its recent movies have included hits such as "XXX" and "Anger Management," as well as box office flop and critically scorned Jennifer Lopez/Ben Affleck comedy "Gigli."

Hitman · 10-17-2003, 07:37 AM

I think it is a very sad commentary on society. Give the guy a break. The Cubs choked and it is certainly not Steve Bartman's fault.