Four and a half bitter years have passed. Steve Bartman’s life is in shambles.

Last autumn, when I confirmed that Bartman indeed is living and working in the area and has neither moved to England nor had plastic surgery (as rumored), a family friend didn't dispel my theories that Bartman has spent time at Wrigley over the last four seasons.

So, not so much on the shambles?

But why wait until now, Moises?

The way I see it, you've just spent 4 1/2 years urinating on Bartman.

If only comments were enabled on Jay's column.

I haven't followed this closely, but my recollection is that Alou basically said that he would not have caught the ball right after the game.

Any baseball fan with a shred of intelligence would have known three things this entire time:

* 95% of Cub (and baseball) fans would have done the same thing as Bartman
* Alou had only a small chance of catching that ball
* More blame goes to Alex Gonzalez, Prior, and the collective negative vibe projected by the 40k at the ballpark

I haven't followed this closely, but my recollection is that Alou basically said that he would not have caught the ball right after the game.

Nope. From the ESPN story on this:

After the game, he said: "I timed it perfectly, I jumped perfectly. I'm almost 100 percent that I had a clean shot to catch the ball. All of a sudden, there's a hand on my glove."

That said, BLB is right on his first two, and close on his third. #### the negative vibe ####. I blame Prior first, A-Gone second, Dusty third, and Farnsworth fourth.

The negative vibe is far behind the on-field mistakes of Prior and Gonzalez.

I will not click the article. But what is this about Bartman's life in shambles?

We were all on IRC during that game. It was the most memorable IRC chatter ever.

What struck us, watching the replays, was how everbody near Bartman was reaching for the ball, oblivious to the possibility that Alou could have caught it. They all had their eyes in the air, not bothering to peer down to where Alou was standing, until after Bartman booted it.

Then he caught all kinds of ####, and sat glumly in the stands, enduring all the slings and arrows of the Cub faithful as he wheels fell off the Cubbie wagon.

But what is this about Bartman's life in shambles?

He lives in a subdivision in Mt. Prospect called "The Shambles". I guess.

I disagree that Alou had little chance to catch the ball; he was camped almost directly underneath it. Nice of Alou to try to take the heat off Bartman, though I'm not sure what good it does.

I'd blame A-Gon first (he doesn't kick Cabrera's grounder, the Cubs probably win), Baker second (Prior got rattled, but he was almost certainly fatigued, and it's the manager's job to settle his pitcher down in that situation, which of course Baker didn't do. And, of course, he left Prior in long after it was clear he should've been gone).

I blame Prior first, A-Gone second, Dusty third, and Farnsworth fourth.

I blame global warming .. uh - no ... It's Bush's fault.

It's Bush's fault.

It's true; if he doesn't trade Sosa, the Cubs aren't in that position.

Maybe the Marlins' third-base coach, Ozzie Guillen, wouldn't have heckled Cubs fans the next night during batting practice -- and never would have won the White Sox managerial job as a postseason loser.

This is what it comes down to for Mariotti -- not the Cubs losing, Bartman "shambled" life, etc --- he can't even keep Guillen out of an article about Bartman. Mariotti's bogeyman would have come to town had the Cubs won.

I blame Bartman for that one missed out. I think that's fair. Would 95% of Cubs fan done the same thing? At first I thought that seemed a bit high, but on reflection, Bartman wasn't the only one going for the ball. And you know, it kinda pisses me off. Watch this video. There are like four other guys going for the ball. It seems a bit unfair to expect Bartman to track the ball and at the same time track where Alou was, and make a calm, collected decision about whether to go for it when everyone around him is reaching for the ball. That's getting into lizard brain territory: you act without thinking. And it's unfair as all hell how those fans threw him under the bus. Bartman was the bad guy just because the ball happened to hit his hands and not those of the half dozen people around him. And once Alou reacted like he did and everyone realized what happened, it was like they all turned to Bartman and said, "What did you do? Look at what you did! I certainly didn't do anything wrong!"

Mariotti's sympathy for Bartman is genuine. I know this because he's done a monthly article about how unfortunate and unfair Bartman's fate is.

I think Mariotti should delve into some serious analysis of why the Bartman story keeps dogging Bartman and then do a 12-part story on Bartman's plight and why nobody can forget about Bartman's gaff, even on this, the fifth anniversary of Bartman's ill-timed obstruction. And, uh... Bartman.

I wish they had never publicized his name. All media outlets which did so - the one that pays me included - will carry a burden over this forever.

It's Mariotti, so I don't want to RTFA ... did he continue to bash Cubs fans for treating Fukudome like Jacque Jones?

Nope. From the ESPN story on this:

After the game, he said: "I timed it perfectly, I jumped perfectly. I'm almost 100 percent that I had a clean shot to catch the ball. All of a sudden, there's a hand on my glove."

What's even more telling is watching Alou's spontaneous reaction upon realizing what had happened. Alou's reaction certainly suggested that he felt he was going to catch the ball.

"But what is this about Bartman's life in shambles?"

He's working on a new project with Pete Doherty.

Jeff Maier's doing OK, though

(the prick)

All media outlets which did so - the one that pays me included - will carry a burden over this forever.

I was disappointed to see the one that pays you lead off highlights of the Cubs opener with footage of the Alou boner.

I disagree that Alou had little chance to catch the ball; he was camped almost directly underneath it.

He wasn't camped under it. What chance do you think he had?

If he had caught that ball, it would have been replayed to death as a great catch.

Urgh. I agree with Mariotti about something.

Although I also agree that Bartman's life would get better if reporters and columnists would just let. it. go.

I wish they had never publicized his name. All media outlets which did so - the one that pays me included - will carry a burden over this forever.

it would have gotten out one way or the other, TVe. There is no anonimity anymore in the days of the personal blog.

Moises Alou is a fraud who wets in his hands!

I disagree that Alou had little chance to catch the ball; he was camped almost directly underneath it.

He wasn't "camped"; he was t the wall, then had to jump over the fence and make a stab at it. As for whether his chances of making that catch were good, ask yourself -- in the hundreds, thousands of games you've seen at Wrigley, how many times have you seen a LFer make that particular catch, jumping over the wall and into the stands?

I don't believe I've ever seen it in that location, and I've been watching maybe 70% of all Cubs games at Wrigley since the early 70s.

Nice of Alou to try to take the heat off Bartman, though I'm not sure what good it does.

Would've been nicer if he did it about 4.5 years ago, rather than throwing a hissy fit.

I wish they had never publicized his name. All media outlets which did so - the one that pays me included - will carry a burden over this forever.

CONCUR, but it was the Sun-Times that did so first, even when other outlets knew the info and (rightfully) sat on it.

The Sun-Times did everything except tell you what route he takes to work and where is the nearest gun shop.

I love this. A dumbass Cubs fan does or does not screw up. A bunch of other dumbass Cubs fans do or do not put that Cubs fan's life in shambles. Some dumbass Cub fan reporter decides to make an issue out of this 5 years later, and blames Moises Alou. Says the Cub fans need a primal scream. Yeah, maybe if they all scream "Sorry we were such ######## to you Steve."

If only Moises Alou had told them he wouldn't have caught the ball years earlier. Cuz the game wasn't on TV or anything.

Your team sucks. How can you not be used to it. Now shut up and behave.

Thanks for setting such a fine example for us to aspire toward.

Your team sucks. How can you not be used to it. Now shut up and behave.

That's just terrible, but I did laugh.

The Sun-Times did everything except tell you what route he takes to work and where is the nearest gun shop.

That's right. They even had a link to the website of the youth team he coached. From there you found a link to his email address. Think he had AOL? "You've got hate mail!" I've often said that article was only missing one sentence at the end:

Let's get him!

ANYWAY, Alex Gonzalez is the guy that really blew it. They end the inning up 3-1 if he turns a tailor-made DP (IIRC). Of course Dusty would have stuck with Prior and ... screw it, y'all just blame Dusty.

screw it, y'all just blame Dusty.

One thing that Dusty didn't do was act like a leader out there. For someone who supposedly has all these leadership qualities, it sure looked like Dusty was just frozen in the dugout while his team melted down out there.

. And once Alou reacted like he did and everyone realized what happened, it was like they all turned to Bartman and said, "What did you do? Look at what you did! I certainly didn't do anything wrong!"

I have always thought, from the moment it happened, before they even blew the lead, that the reaction of the fans, and how it all interplayed with the Cubs on the field and the stadium atmosphere was DIRECTLY tied to Alou's immature and unprofessional reaction.

I've always "blamed" Alou more than anyone, not for losing the game, but for demonizing Bartman. The fans were just following his lead. Thats a fact. If he doesn't react at all, and just walks away, it doesn't get to the level it did.

Shoewizard, I totally agree with you. The negative vibe I mentioned earlier directly followed Alou's hissy fit.

it would have gotten out one way or the other, TVe. There is no anonimity anymore in the days of the personal blog.

I don't think that it would have been possible for this citizen to preserve his privacy in the face of onlookers. But whoever dragged it into the mainstream media (Fred blames the Sun-Times and I don't know any better) took a "lunatic fringe" story and made it big. If they had never published this stuff in the paper, I think many of us never would have clicked on whatever blog in order to find his name.

And I don't buy the media "it was that guy; we're just reporting on the reporting" thing. I think that each newsroom makes up its own mind (and I understand the pressure) and has to live with it. I think E5PN gets exactly the same scorn from me by putting his name into the broadcast as it would if it had "broken" the story.

I've always "blamed" Alou more than anyone, not for losing the game, but for demonizing Bartman. The fans were just following his lead. Thats a fact. If he doesn't react at all, and just walks away, it doesn't get to the level it did.

This is valid way to look at it. But Alou was in the midst of a close game which could win the pennant, he was concentrating intensely, runs down a ball, he does the hard parts: running to the spot, tracking the ball, navigating the wall, timing the jump, and then when it's within a foot of his open glove, it gets interfered with. His reaction is authentic and immediate, and its hard to blame Alou for not considering the repercussions on the fan. But yes I agree, if he hadnt had such an expressive reaction, the mood at the park might have been different, and the incident would not be so famous. After that play (even before the at-bat continued), I swear I thought to myself: "thats it. they are done. the cubs are going to lose this game and then lose game 7."

I'm not a Cubs or an Alou fan. I don't see how he can be held responsible. As I remember it, he's coming in, he's lining up a pop fly, and then it's suddenly knocked away by someone reaching into the field from the stands. Alou grimaces/yells, jumps, points in the stands. I can't see anything wrong with that reaction. He's trying to make a play in a playoff game. Suddenly someone interferes. How the #### was he supposed to react? It's quite possible he did some stuff I don't remember, like making a sign in the dugout during the next half-inning urging fans to kill Bartman, but if you expected him to be cool calm and collected after that, you may have a future as an umpire (a species which never seems to understand players are involved in competition, and should be cut some slack when they get upset).

edit - exactly nasty nate, yours wasn't up when I started typing

then it's suddenly knocked away by someone reaching into the field from the stands.

No one reached onto the field. The ball was in the stands. Alou made a heckuva jump to have a shot, but it was in the stands. That's been one of the main defenses for Barman since it happens.

Alou grimaces/yells, jumps, points in the stands.

And throws his glove on the ground at the same time.

Suddenly someone interferes.

It wasn't interference.

bull ####

it was not in the stands. it was in the air directly above the railing. He's sitting in the first seat and his arms are extended fully towards the field. Alou's arms are extended up, and their arms meet at a right angle above the fence.

It wasn't interference.

maybe not in the strict baseball-rulebook sense of the word, but the fan 'interfered' in every other sense of the word.

He wasn't camped under it. What chance do you think he had?

If he had caught that ball, it would have been replayed to death as a great catch.

My feeling, looking only at the link provided by CFiJ, and with that drawback of seeing the play only from two angles, is that it would have been a very good catch, but certainly not spectacular. Alou arrived at the wall slightly ahead of the ball, and as such wouldn't have had the problem of colliding with the wall while catching the ball. That said, he didn't seem to quite be under it, and I wouldn't have been at all surprised if the ball had hit his glove and bounced away. Without fan interference I make it 25% - 40% that Alou would have made the catch.

Also, Alou didn't throw his glove on the ground.

maybe not in the strict baseball-rulebook sense of the word

Well, we agree.

Also, Alou didn't throw his glove on the ground.

(goes back to check on youtube)

Well, annoyingly, my computer won't let me view a youtube video in fullscreen right now. If someone with a better view can help me out here then, if he wasn't throwing his glove on the ground, what was he doing around the 17 marker here.

Definitely a glove throw.

Exactly. The very first initial reaction I can understand, but I always remembered him as giving that extra demonstration of anger and blame towards Bartman, (the throwing of the glove) as really extending the moment.

And the rest is history.

yeah, watching it again, he really goes on for far too long

Phil Mushnick blamed Bud Selig for not ordering the Cubs to be quiet.

I can never remember his name but the Yankee fan in the 2000 World Series Game 1 was smarter than any Cubs fan because he sat on his hands for the Todd Zeile double/ Timo Perez thrown out at home play.

So just because Alou reacts poorly in a playoff game, a large chunk of Cubdom had no choice but to follow that sentiment because they are mindless drones who must emulate Alou?

C'mon. You can disagree with Alou's reaction, but anyone who took it for months/years beyond that moment are responsible for their own actions and words.

I have always found it ironic that a player like Alou will always be known for the great defensive play he "almost" made.

Because Alou has been in the majors forever and still looking to make a great defensive play.

My feeling, looking only at the link provided by CFiJ, and with that drawback of seeing the play only from two angles, is that it would have been a very good catch, but certainly not spectacular. Alou arrived at the wall slightly ahead of the ball, and as such wouldn't have had the problem of colliding with the wall while catching the ball. That said, he didn't seem to quite be under it, and I wouldn't have been at all surprised if the ball had hit his glove and bounced away. Without fan interference I make it 25% - 40% that Alou would have made the catch.

I can agree with this. The catch wouldn't have been spectacular, but considering the context, it would have been hailed as a great catch. 40% may have been high, but that range is about correct.

Because Alou has been in the majors forever and still looking to make a great defensive play.

Alou always seemed like a player with limited range, but made a lot of diving catches at the edge of his range. He sometimes looked better than he was.

Well, annoyingly, my computer won't let me view a youtube video in fullscreen right now. If someone with a better view can help me out here then, if he wasn't throwing his glove on the ground, what was he doing around the 17 marker here.

Ack. I didn't let the replay I watched go on long enough. I figured that after he didn't chuck it on his first spasm, that he didn't do it later. My bad.

Just some thoughts.

I don't imagine Alou would have gotten on Web Gems if he'd caught the exact same ball in the regular season. On the other hand, if he'd missed it, I don't think he'd been charged with an error. It was that kind of tweener play, which is why things played out the way they did.

I can't really blame Alou for his reaction any more than I can blame Bartman for going for the ball. The excitement was running high. I wish Alou hadn't reacted the way he did; I think if he'd been more blasé about the whole thing the Cubs might have retained momentum. But I think his reaction was entirely natural. In the Game Chatter we Cubs fans were all basically having the same reaction.

There's no glove throw, incidentally. He grips his glove and then he slaps his thighs with his hands. Watch the video again. The glove never leaves his left hand.

I t was shocking at the time, but I don't think that anyone who followed the Cubs through the Dusty years would be surprised now that Alou reacted childishly to the play, nor would it be a surprise that the Cubs melted down after that.

The Baker-era Cubs were the most mentally fragile team I've ever watched. They blamed everything that went wrong on someone else.

This was really just the first example of it.