Many assumed the Chicago Cubs’ World Series win over the Cleveland Indians meant Steve Bartman would emerge from obscurity to celebrate his favorite team’s first title since 1908.
But it doesn’t appear that’ll be the case.
Surely, Bartman, the man often blamed for the Cubs’ misfortunes in the 2003 National League Championship Series because he deflected a foul ball in the eighth inning of Game 6 that Moises Alou might have caught, is happy with Chicago’s championship triumph.
“He was just overjoyed that the Cubs won, as all the Cubs fans are,’’ Frank Murtha, a lawyer who has served as Bartman’s spokesman, told USA TODAY Sports on Thursday.
Bartman just isn’t ready to suddenly step into the spotlight, and his reason makes plenty of sense.
“We don’t intend to crash the parade,’’ Murtha said, per USA TODAY. “The one thing that Steve and I did talk about was if the Cubs were to win, he did not want to be a distraction to the accomplishments of the players and the organization.’’
Bartman hasn’t granted any interviews since the 2003 NLCS incident, which preceded an epic collapse in which the Cubs blew Game 6 and lost Game 7, exacerbating their championship futility. And who could blame him for wanting to remain anonymous at this point? Even though this is a joyous time for the city of Chicago and a weight’s probably been lifted off Bartman’s shoulders, the man never deserved to be a subject of ridicule. Cubs fans should be the ones asking for forgiveness. Not the other way around.
For whatever it’s worth, Bartman still lives and works in the Chicago area, according to Murtha.
