The Bartman incident doesn't need repeating, but with all of this Jay Cutler-bashing in the Windy City, one can't help but remember the infamous Cubs fan.
It was in 2003 that Bartman, like any baseball fan would do at any ballpark across the country and at any point of any game, simply reached out for a foul ball. He wanted a souvenir and wanted to get it the hard way. He missed it, however, and unfortunately, Cubs outfielder Moises Alou missed it too. Long story short: the Cubs lost, the streak continued and Bartman received more death threats than Wrigley's famous outfield fence has ivy.
This past Sunday in the same city, roughly 87 months and seven miles from the Wrigley Field debacle, Cutler gave Chicago sports fans reason to explode again with rage. This time, believe it or not, it might be worse than what Bartman pulled on a cold October evening.
Cutler is paid millions to play a very physical sport where injuries happen and happen a lot. Whether they're charlie horses, bloody gashes, broken noses or sprained ankles, football players tend to play through bumps, bruises, and everything in between, especially during the biggest games of the season. After being removed from the game with an apparent knee injury, Cutler was spotted walking around on the sideline and even warming up on an exercise bike nonetheless.
Following the final whistle, he then walked off the field under his own power. I repeat: he walked off the field under his own power after leaving the NFC Championship game in front of his home crowd. He wasn't carted off the field. He didn't go to the hospital. And he certainly didn't fight the training staff to get back on the pitch.
What he did do was prove to Chi Town and the NFL world that he is, indeed, the Jay Cutler everyone viewed him as: a weak, selfish punk who will never win the big game nor the hearts of his fan base.
There's a report that Cutler, who had apparently found out about the Twitter world tearing him a new one, was even crying after the loss by his locker room. This is good news for Bears fans as it proves he actually does have a heart and potentially even a soul.
Somewhere, Steve Bartman is smiling — and rightfully so. He's not the most-hated man in Chicago … this week, at least.
