Bartman, Buckner, Baseball

On this day in 2003, a Chicago Cubs fan named Steve Bartman reached for a foul ball and — many would still argue, fairly or not — effectively ruined the Cubs’ chance at a World Series run that year. (The Cubs have not won a title since 1908.) Bartman hasn’t done an interview or made a public appearance in the years since, but there’s basically a franchise built around his folly now: I loved Catching Hell, the 30 For 30 documentary about that night and its aftermath, which draws a parallel between history’s treatment of Bartman and the former Boston Red Sox player Bill Buckner, who misplayed a grounder during Game 6 of the 1986 World Series and became the perfect scapegoat for the team’s misfortunes for the next decade or so. Bartman’s been in hiding for the past decade, and the Cubs still don’t have a title. The Sox, meanwhile, did this last night, and I will refrain from gloating about it, because I grew up with The Curse of the Bambino. (Look at this photo, though. LOOK AT THAT PHOTO.) Are you watching baseball?