10th Anniversary of "Bartman" Game

[waldo_the_wolf]

All I know is Alex Gonzalez better count his blessings every day of his life. It angers me that we talk about "the Bartman game" or "the Bartman ball" instead of "the Gonzalez game" or "the Gonzalez ball".

[TommyJohn]

Originally Posted by Dan H

I read Paul Sullivan's story and thought it was pretty good. He went over how people tried to profit off of Bartman. But after I thought about it, I thought he should've concentrated some on the horrible reaction of Cub fans. They were way over the top in many ways and I think much worse than the people who wanted to make some money.

Re Dusty Baker: He sat on his hands when he should have least come out and calmed his team down. 5 outs. That's all they needed. How many times does a hitter get new life when a foul ball isn't caught? If a team goes nuts every time that happens, it would never get through a season.

Bottom line: The Cubs and their fans choked big time. And they have only themselves to blame.

Paul Sullivan wrote a story about it, but didn't mention the horrible behavior of the fans? I'm shocked. Shocked, I tell you.

[thomas35forever]

Originally Posted by TDog

If it's the radio you're listening to on those ear buds, the announcer has to be talking about Alou having a shot at the ball.

Actually, I just watched Catching Hell again today and they pointed out that the radio was on a seven-second delay. By the time the pitch was even delivered on the broadcast, the play was already over. Bartman had no warning other than the ball heading in his direction.

And if your immediate instinct is to get out of the way of that ball, I applaud your quick wits.

[Brian26]

Originally Posted by thomas35forever

Actually, I just watched Catching Hell again today and they pointed out that the radio was on a seven-second delay. By the time the pitch was even delivered on the broadcast, the play was already over. Bartman had no warning other than the ball heading in his direction.

And if your immediate instinct is to get out of the way of that ball, I applaud your quick wits.

WGN and WSCR do not run, to my knowledge, delays on the radio broadcasts for baseball. WMVP did not either.

[TDog]

Originally Posted by thomas35forever

Actually, I just watched Catching Hell again today and they pointed out that the radio was on a seven-second delay. By the time the pitch was even delivered on the broadcast, the play was already over. Bartman had no warning other than the ball heading in his direction.

And if your immediate instinct is to get out of the way of that ball, I applaud your quick wits.

I read that ESPN radio, what I was listening to, was on a delay but WGN radio was not. Maybe the information was outdated. If there was a radio delay, there would have been no good reason to be wearing the ear buds that night.

Lots of people don't interfere with pop flies at the stands. Most people defer to the outfielder, amazingly even when the outfielder is playing for the visiting team in games of less consequence. Not waiting to see if Alou was going to catch the ball wasn't a reflex, it was the actions of a dumb fan.

Of course, it's Cubs fans pride themselves on having started throwing back home runs to show they care more about their team than the souvenir, making this whole thing a bit ironic.

[Brian26]

By the way, tonight is the real anniversary. Game 6 was a huge moment, but any cautious fan knew that there was still a game to be played...Game 7. Carlton Fisk had a great moment in '75, but the Reds won that series.

I went to work the next day with a smile, but any smart Sox fan knew not to gloat too much as there was still one game to be played. Game 7 was the post-game party to remember.

[Brian26]

Originally Posted by TDog

I read that ESPN radio, what I was listening to, was on a delay but WGN radio was not. Maybe the information was outdated. If there was a radio delay, there would have been no good reason to be wearing the ear buds that night.

Exactly. If there was a delay, he was insane to be wearing ear buds.

I would not doubt the national feed was on delay, but the Chicago teams still run the games live (no delay) for the fans who want to listen to the broadcast, even though, like keeping score, that's a bit of a lost tradition.

[Dan H]

Originally Posted by TommyJohn

Paul Sullivan wrote a story about it, but didn't mention the horrible behavior of the fans? I'm shocked. Shocked, I tell you.

I know. I am naïve at times.

[JB98]

One of the things that rarely gets discussed with regard to that whole eighth-inning meltdown is what a ****ty job Farnsworth did in relief of Prior.

Obviously, the Gonzalez error was the biggest gaffe, but the Cubs could have been out of the inning only down a run if Farnsworth could have retired the great Mike Mordecai. Instead, Mordecai cleared the bases with a two-out, three-double to take it from 4-3 to 7-3. That was the dagger in that game.

[Dan H]

Watched the "documentary" 5 Outs. It was pure Cubbie B.S. and propaganda.

[SoxandtheCityTee]

I didn't see it, but heard some interesting things on the radio about it:

1. Alou and Ramirez both bought their tickets home BEFORE game 7 was played.
2. Sosa was upset when he heard this. It wasn't clear to me when he found this out.
3. Kerry Wood was also dismayed to hear this and says it showed a lack of confidence in him.
4. Dusty defends all his managerial non-moves.

Any of this accurate? Based on the rage and anguish of the radio personalities talking about this, it can't have been all propaganda?

[MarySwiss]

My husband grew up on Addison and Harlem, so he favored the Cubs, although he has always claimed he liked both teams. He refused to watch Game 7. I watched it in the living room while he watched the World Series of Poker in the family room. That's how sure he was that they were going to lose. He was sure they would lose in that playoff series with the Padres also.

But after the Cubs got eliminated by the D'Backs a few years back, they interviewed some kid who was about 13 years old. WIth tears running down his face, the kid kept saying that he'd been waiting "for soooo long." My husband looked at the TV, snarled, and yelled "Oh, shut up, kid."

He now claims to be a Sox fan first and foremost, but I still wonder sometimes.

[jdm2662]

Originally Posted by SoxandtheCityTee

I didn't see it, but heard some interesting things on the radio about it:

1. Alou and Ramirez both bought their tickets home BEFORE game 7 was played.

I always felt Alou was the biggest tool of the group, and he sure didn't disappoint. Alou was the one that bought the ticket and offered to his fellow country men, which leads to 2 and 3

2. Sosa was upset when he heard this. It wasn't clear to me when he found this out.

Yes, he was. He said the only plane ticket he wanted was one to NY.

3. Kerry Wood was also dismayed to hear this and says it showed a lack of confidence in him.

Yes, he said this. i'm not surprised. I always found Kerry Wood likable and I never doubted he wanted to win. He just couldn't stay on the field for long. I can't fault him for his stupid fan base making him out to what he wasn't.

4. Dusty defends all his managerial non-moves.

Well man, pitching Clement would not been fair to my bullpen dudes. Look how the like of Jack McKeon and Joe Torre handled their teams in the same situation.

Speaking of Beckett, Thom Breenaman spotted him at the bar after game 6. Beckett predicted the Cubs would score early, and he would enter the game in the third or fourth inning. He would give up one hit and pitch four innings... He should've bet money, then again, baseball doesn't like gambling.

Any of this accurate? Based on the rage and anguish of the radio personalities talking about this, it can't have been all propaganda?

The last 15 mins of the show was Cubbie loving propaganda. The rest of it I did enjoy. Obviously, it was fun to watch, and it had good perspectives...

[Noneck]

Originally Posted by MarySwiss

But after the Cubs got eliminated by the D'Backs a few years back, they interviewed some kid who was about 13 years old. WIth tears running down his face, the kid kept saying that he'd been waiting "for soooo long." My husband looked at the TV, snarled, and yelled "Oh, shut up, kid."

Its safe to say that there isnt one person alive that saw and remembers seeing the cubs win a world series.

[TDog]

Originally Posted by Noneck

Its safe to say that there isnt one person alive that saw and remembers seeing the cubs win a world series.

Considering the game attendance the last time the Cubs ever won the World Series was the smallest of any World Series game ever played (6,210) and there was no television (or radio, for that matter), that has probably been true for quite a while.