Begging Bartman's Pardon
Celebrate good times, come on!
As the Cubs gear up for another stab at the World Series and talk lightly turns yet again to goats (see: Billy; scape) and curses (see: Billy; profanities uttered in crushing despair), we get an open letter -- from a Cubs fan/media member -- to the most pilloried fan in modern sports history. Apparently, all is forgiven in Chicago, so Steve Bartman can happily show his face at Wrigley the way Bill Buckner did at Fenway last April after years of having his life made a complete misery by angry fans and media mythmakers who turn mistakes into Crimes of the Century. Bartman was merely hounded underground (almost literally) by death threats and the Governor of Illinois' helpful suggestion that he avail himself of the Witness Protection Program. For good measure, ex-Cubs outfielder Moises Alou seemed to hang the poor blighter out to dry for five years before reportedly admitting that, well, yeah, he wouldn't have caught that fateful foul ball anyway. Alou later disputed that report. Now -- hah hah hoo -- Cubs fans concede that they may have gotten a little carried away by their zeal and good ol' Steve really didn't do anything so goshdarned awful. So there won't be a full-scale riot if he leads the faithful in "Take Me Out To the Ballgame" at the Fiendly Confines during the playoffs. All I can say is that folks may be in a forgiving mood at the moment, but woe be to anyone who even appears to foul up the Cubbies' quest in this the centennial of their last Series title. That poor schlub will have to leave the planet on the first thing going ... and stay there.
