Bartman Movie: ESPN To Run Documentary On Cubs Fall Guy Steve Bartman (VIDEO)

Life could get even harder for a man who just wants to fade away.

Steve Bartman, the overzealous Cubs fan whose deflection of a foul ball in the 2003 National League Championship Series made him the most prominent in a long line of North Side scapegoats, is the focus of an upcoming ESPN documentary.

As part of its 30th anniversary celebration, ESPN is commissioning 30 one-hour films from 30 filmmakers on various sports-related topics from 1979-2009.

For his contribution, acclaimed documentary producer Alex Gibney (Taxi to the Dark Side, Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room, Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson) will attempt to answer the question: Can Bartman ever forgive Chicago?

Here's just one reason why that's no given:

Comments

[48thGuy]

Bartman, that guy from the suburbs...The real question is, can Chicago ever forgive HIM!

[48thGuy]

Bartman, the scoundral...The real question is, can Chicago ever forgive his stupidity!

[glamajamma]

I live in the Northside and I rue the day that the Cubs win the World Series. I don't watch baseball, so I could care less about them winning as the "home team." I am only concerned for the safety of my home and family.

Someone once described Wrigley as a baseball field built around a bar, and that is pretty much the feel I get. The games are just an excuse for some people to drink. I don't believe half of the fans are there to even watch the game. Driving down Clark past Wrigley, you get the distinct "singles bar" feel.

Anyway, if you give some of these drunkards a reason to go crazy, this would be it.

[nowarpleez]

Poor guy. Everyone was reaching for the ball. He just got unlucky.

[BushBites]

I wouldn't blame Chicago for Cubs fans.

Most of them are from the suburbs anyway.

[Lakeview Greg]

Yep, the Cubs fans at the game were idiots. Alou was an idiot. Fox Sports who was doing the game and the whole Chicago media were idiots. Alou apologized kind of last year, saying it was not Bartman's fault. If Bartman had caught the ball, no one would have said a word. But he missed it, and the bunch of characters that were the 2003 Cubs showed they had no character and they lost the series to the Marlins. I am a life sentenced Cubs fan but what baseball game money I have I spend at US Cellular. Too many Cubs fans at the game are fans of winning, not fans of baseball.

Go Cubs! Damn you channel 9 for all those games on tv after school!

[wwchickendinner]

This story is so troubling. I live in Chicago and I worked for the same company as S.B. when this incident occurred. I did not know him personally, but I remember well the efforts that were made to protect and insulate him from the angry mobs that simply would not go away.

Look at the photo -- other hands are reaching for that ball. It is only through pure luck that the others walked away from that night with a story rather than a life-altering stigma attached to their name. S.B. is more well known than most criminals and a national punchline. Had he wanted anything other than for this to just all go away, he could have accepted offers to appear in paid spots on television. He could have capitalized on this, but he chose to quietly try to regroup.

I wish him well and I hope for his sake that if this does air, it presents his side of the story and exposes the surreal ugliness that he was forced to cope with.

[TheJibreelaMonsters]

dude gets mad love on the Southside, lol

I would say they would enjoy him in Miami but there is probably more snowbird Cubs fans on South Beach

[Bude]

He dropped that ball didn't he? Would you score that an E10?

[wwchickendinner]

m

[ChiGuy]

He had to actually flee the country to escape death threats and the constant hounding from Cubs fans and the media.

For gd's sake leave the poor guy ALONE!!!

[Bude]

Yes, I heard he was coaching minor league baseball in Afghanistan.

[stav506]

I actually worked for the same company that had offices all over the world. Rumor was he was transfered to one of the European offices since he was multi-lingual.

[wwchickendinner]

I am troubled by this. I live in Chicago and worked for the same company as Steve Bartman when this incident happened. I did not know him personally, but remember clearly the efforts that were made to protect his privacy and basically just insulate him from the mob mentality that simply wouldn't die. Please, let this go. His name is now more readily known than most criminals. It could have been any one of us. People were so quick to say that they wouldn't have gone for that ball and I just don't buy that. Look at that photo carefully -- there are other hands reaching for it. Those lucky few in the surrounding seats walked away with a story rather than a life-altering stigma.

I have no idea where he is now as I am no longer with that company, but I wish him well and hope that this just goes away.

If he had any desire to do anything but let this die, he would have accepted one of many offers to appear on TV in a paid spot. I applaud his strength. Hang in there S.B.

[BushBites]

Yeah, that's true.

Those people who tried for the ball and didn't get it must feel damn lucky.

[Bude]

Go Steve go, go Steve go,.......­..........­.

[ebroadcast]

Even as a Chicago native, I can never be a Cubs fan. Their fans are so deprtived of having a winning team that they'll point their finger at anything that resembles a scapegoat. This is the perfect example .. poor guy

[henri09]

Not all of us are like that. I've been a die-hard cub fan for 30 years. I felt horrible for Bartman and still do. Every team has its idiots.

[starkweather444]

I am a life long Cubs fan and Chicago native. What Cubs fans did to Bartman is pathetic. You cant blame Bartman for what happened to the Cubs in that series, the Cubs choked and blew it. Bartman had nothing to do with it. I felt sorry for Bartman and his life was ruined.

[edoxtator]

Cubs fans are children. They really do think that Bartman screwed up the game? Wrong. Dusty Baker screwed it up in the 5th, when he refused to change pitchers. That's the problem with Cubs fans and Cubs management-- it's always someone else's problem. Dodn't they try to blame their horrible season the next year on Steve Stone?

They're never going to win it all until they actually admit that they're not the darlings of the NL.

[tonewheel]

OK, thanks Ozzie.

[henri09]

LOL the fans are the reason for the cubs WS drought? Come on! And quit your generalizing.