The Ghost of Bartman

As a Cub fan there are certain things that will always haunt you. Whether it’s losing a home game in the 1984 playoffs because Wrigley Field wasn’t equipped with lights. Or the 1998 run to the playoffs that led to a 1^st round sweep and maybe have permanently wrecked the career of then rookie Kerry Wood. Then there’s that whole thing with the goat. However, for Cubs fans of my generation the incident that will forever live in infamy is that fateful foul ball that was redirected by one Steve Bartman. Now make no mistake I am not a person who believes in curses, I break mirrors and walk under ladders every day. And while that game made me so upset that I sat in my car for half an hour unable to drive, I never blamed Bartman and instead aimed my ire at Alex Gonzalez who promptly booted a double play ball that same inning. But as I have watched the Cubs get swept these past three games in Florida I can’t help but think the specter of that event still haunts this team.

Look at the facts. The Cubs came into the series with a winning road record, fresh off a sweep of the Pittsburg Pirates, with an off day on Monday, and scheduled to face 3 pitchers having sub-par seasons. A sweep would’ve clinched the division, but even just winning one game would’ve put a tremendous amount of pressure on the Brewers stuck facing a Padres team also fighting for their playoff lives. It should’ve been easy, but as a Cubs fan I should know better. With this team nothing is ever easy. So after not getting a single quality start in the series, after watching key bullpen pitchers Marmol and Dempster give up key late runs, and after watching all the Cubs big bats suddenly go silent the momentum this team had built is suddenly gone I am ready to be sick. They needed only a 3-3 finish to clinch a semi-respectable 86 win season and a division title, but instead are on the verge of becoming the second 83 win team to come out of the NL central in consecutive seasons. Granted as a Cub fan I’ll take anything, but no one ever wants to be mildly above average.

It’s depressing, it’s gut-wrenching, and it’s impossible to both watch and not watch. In short, this whole thing is killing me. But I pray that moving out of Florida, moving out of the shadow of that fateful October evening 4 years ago will bring this team back to the light. If they can take 2 out of 3 against the Reds (in another ballpark where they do not play well) then I can relax and convincingly say “this team has a fighting chance for the Series”. But it feels so empty to be taking this on the merits of Milwaukee’s collapse. Somehow when you’re the Cubs the past always seems to find a way to haunt you. I am just waiting to hear Dusty’s voice on some ESPN broadcast, or catch a glimpse of Mark Prior in the dugout before a game. But I guess this is the sort of thing I signed up for and so I say, be gone foul demon! Ghost of Bartman vex me no more!