Understatement of the Day
Category: Sports (Pro/College/HS)...
Posted Thursday, October 16, 2003 at 07:51 AM [GMT-6]

Today's edition of the Wall Street Journal (subscription required) carries a story about Steve Bartman, the Chicago Cubs fan who seemed to prevent the Cubs outfielder from catching a foul ball in game 6 of the series with the Florida Marlins.

As we all know by now, Bartman is being targeted by Chicago "fans" as the scapegoat for the Cubs' immediate collapse into inadequacy. The WSJ comes to his defense...sort of (emphasis mine):

Mr. Bartman clearly wasn't the sole cause of the Cubs collapse in Tuesday's game. Cubs shortstop Alex Gonzalez bobbled a routine ground ball later in the eighth inning, and Cubs pitchers share some of the blame for the fact that eight runs scored.

"Some of the blame..."?! You think?

[Those Cub "fans" who continue to insist that the officially innocuous action of a fan during one play of a seven-game series is the cause of their team's downfall deserve another 100 years of futility.

OTOH, if the team will step up, admit their own and sole culpability, and stand publicly by Mr. Bartman (as Moises Alou has now done), then they just might deserve that World Series berth...next year.]

Update (10/18): It appears that, as usual, adults can learn a thing or two about sportsmanship from the kids.

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Comments

I've been vexed by this for a few days...the LA Times had a good write up on the real reason. You'd think the Cubs would come to the defense of their fans better, after all THEY have been the only consistent performer over the last few decades! I blogged on this "some" but there hasn't been the groundswell logical thinking on this issue...why? Isn't it so obvious that players play the game? So if the ball lands two more rows up and Alou doesn't make the play they get the double play and we're not talking about it? No, I don't think so. And if that IS the case, the Cubs players are too weak mentally to be World Champions!

Posted by: dogman at October 17, 2003 01:39 PM

AMEN!

If the shortstop makes the routine catch (I believe it could have been a double-play easily, but I didn't watch the game) they get one step closer to finishing the Marlins off.

As Jim Rome said "leave the dork in the headphones alone. It wasn't his fault."

I hope they leave Bartman in peace. He's not the reason they lost. Lack of mental toughness is the reason they lost.

Posted by: Bill at October 18, 2003 10:02 PM
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