Steve Bartman: ESPN Revives Moment of Horror for Tormented Cubs Fan

One thought comes to my mind when I see the previews for ESPN's new documentary Catching Hell: Poor Steve Bartman.

Catching Hell centers on the moment when the Cubs fan caught a foul ball before Moises Alou could grab it to record the second out in the eighth inning of Game 6 in the 2003 NLCS. Had Alou made the grab, the Cubs would have been just four outs away, with a 3-0 lead, of advancing to the World Series for the first time since 1945.

Instead they were five outs away and fell apart at the seams. They lost the lead and were eliminated from the playoffs.

Bartman was vilified.

Fifty-eight years of failure accumulated by Cubs fans were thrust onto Bartman. He was public enemy No. 1.

The moment changed his life. We are talking about a guy who was as passionate and as loyal a Cubs fan as there is, and all of a sudden almost every other Cubs fan was irrationally angry with him.

Bartman read the following statement following the incident in 2003:

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"There are few words to describe how awful I feel and what I have experienced within these last 24 hours.

"I've been a Cub fan all my life and fully understand the relationship between my actions and the outcome of the game. I had my eyes glued on the approaching ball the entire time and was so caught up in the moment that I did not even see Moises Alou, much less that he may have had a play.

"Had I thought for one second that the ball was playable or had I seen Alou approaching I would have done whatever I could to get out of the way and give Alou a chance to make the catch.

"To Moises Alou, the Chicago Cubs organization, Ron Santo, Ernie Banks, and Cub fans everywhere I am so truly sorry from the bottom of this Cubs fan's broken heart.

"I ask that Cub fans everywhere redirect the negative energy that has been vented towards my family, my friends and myself into the usual positive support for our beloved team on their way to being National League champs."

"

I am sure Bartman has been trying to get as far away from this incident as possible, and now he finds his face and that moment plastered all over TVs once again, at the forefront of the national consciousness.

I can only imagine the pain he feels when seeing this moment on TV.

I am a Raiders fan. I still feel like punching walls when I see replays. I go into fits of cursing when I see the Immaculate Reception, and I wasn't even alive when that happened.

Here is a fan who is forced to relive a moment like that for his team and is at the heart of the failure!

Here's to you, Steve Bartman!

And if it is any consolation, I am sure the Cubs would have found a way to blow it had you not caught that ball.