@@thedefinitionisthis Funny thing is the day after the game it was the literal first thing my history teacher brought up. Unlike Cubs fans he paid attention to the game.
That Alex Gonzalez error was what really opened the flood gates. Poor Bartman did what any other fan would do. There were at least five other people reaching for that ball.
Or was reaching out onto the field, for that matter. Sure, his and Alou's hands crossed paths, but they were both on top of the railing--fair game for both fielder AND fan.
Dude was listening to the game on the radio in his earpiece while he was watching the game live and in person. He was a hardcore Cubs fan and probably cared more about that team than anyone in that stadium. It's a shame that he got the blame. He wasn't the only fan reaching for the ball and he wasn't the reason the Cubs lost!
Everybody remembers Bill Buckner for his mess up the 1986 world series. That became his legacy. Alex Gonzalez can thank his lucky stars that people are blaming Bartman instead of him
It was Moises Alous' reaction that put the focus on a fan. That prompted replays both on TV and at the park so everyone could see exactly who was in the middle of that fiasco. Rational was defied when fans poured out their vitriol towards a fan out of the field of play rather than a player in the game (which by the way actually did change the situation from bad to worse). All because Steve Bartman was a weak looking, nerdy outcast that was singled out.
Just like how Calvin Schiraldi and Bob Stanley need to thank Buckner for being the scapegoat. Schiraldi couldn't save a game for his life blowing the lead and Bob Stanley who needed one out tied the game with his wild pitch. Yet Buckner got the most blame out of the 3.
Neither of them had a legacy really. Both were at 10-15 career WAR. Usually HOFamers have at least over 60+ WAR. These guys are just average starters anyway
Buckner got scapegoated for the Game 6 lost in the '86 World Series but it was the Red Sox' bullpen that ran out of gas & could not shut the door on the Mets that night. And Schiraldi throwing a pitch in the dirt that allowed the tying run to score.
The 30/30 episode is a great watch. It clearly showed that 7 arms were outstretched reaching for the ball before it got there (including the guy who recovered it and sold it for 150K to be destroyed), and Bartman got all the blame.
They needed a scapegoat...but the problem was the announcers highlighting his face. They literally ruined that man's life over a damn foul ball. It's still sad to this day. Dude was just doing a normal reaction of reaching for a foul ball.
@@CREOLEHEAT its not just a game, its their job and they can lose their job for losing the game. I agree that inviting him was no more than grandstanding though.
1994 I semi agree. They gave him a ring and while it was definitely a PR move, it also cost tens of thousands of dollars, besides the fact that it’s a priceless piece of history for what is still his favorite team (and I assume the fact that it’s a genuine official World Series ring from the series that broke the longest championship drought in all of sports, it’s probably worth a huge premium on the collector’s market if he ever decided to sell it-which I’m sure he wouldn’t)
I lived in Chicago in 2003. Friends of mine worked for the same company as Bartman and people got fired for sending company wide emails mocking him and threatening him. It was never his fault. Gonzales blew a tailor-made double play ball.
@@MasterOfViewership Good call by the 3rd base umpire too. And it was such an awkward angle he was going in at, how can anyone say he would've caught it?
Everyone says that was automatically gonna be a double play ball but I highly doubt they would've gotten 2 even if fielded cleanly with how slowly that play was developing, they probably would've gotten 1 out at best.
As a Cubs fan, the treatment of Bartman is a moment of great shame. More shameful than the drought itself. I wasn't following Baseball back then, but it's ridiculous that fans blamed him or the Billy Goat. Curses aren't real and I didn't believe in them way before 2016. Sure fans forgive him now... but it was the Cubs' fault for that collapse. The incident was unrelated. I feel ashamed of the way fans behaved... and I wasn't there to witness it. I know plenty of people blame the "curse".... but honestly Cubs fans.... we deserved the extra years of failure. The true problem was that the Cubs sucked and had poor management for many years. TLDR. Glad the Cubs won in 2016, but Bartman was unrelated to the collapse. Cubs fan scapegoated and ruined his life and that was inexcusable. As a Cubs fan, please don't do this to others.
At least the curse of the Billy Goat is amusing and didn't result in any life ruining harassment. I don't mind the idea of sports curses, they're usually pretty fun to theorise about and sports has always been full of superstition
@@edgar1420 The Spurs spent everything they had winning the Championship the previous year. As for the Clippers, I doubt it, and, I was still too mad at their former owner to root for them, anyway.
@@edgar1420 Yeah, the 2015 Clippers that blew a 3-1 series lead vs the Rockets, had the Clippers won they would've advanced to their 1st Western conference final. They had a huge lead in the potential close-out Game 6 at home & fell apart, & went on to lose Game 7 back in Houston. Clippers STILL have not advanced beyond the 2nd round of the playoffs.
Even if Bartman wasn't in the way, Alou likely doesn't catch that ball. As a wise man once said, "Alou couldn't catch a cold during the plague". He wasn't a good fielder. That and a lack of durability is what's keeping him out of the hall of fame.
Equality 7-2521 exactly, alou is only saying that because he must blame himself for reacting the way he did. It’s certainly not his fault they put the blame on Bartman but his reaction got everyone’s attention and started the focus on bartman
Alou may have been a bad fielder but if you watch the replays that show multiple angles you have to be in denial to believe he wouldn't have caught that ball.
I remember the next day on Around the Horn, the question was asked about how Bartman should handle this. The consensus seemed to be that he should just deal with it and face the music even as half the city was calling for his head (many of them literally) and I was just like "really?"
AAWWWEEEE!!! This was back when this Cardinals' fan used to somewhat feel sorry for the Cubs and their fanbase. Now I see this and only feel bad for Bartman.
Poor Bartman. There were like 10 people going for it and he’s the lone guy who gets blamed. The fan next to him took the ball and went on to sell it for 100k
The blame goes to Alou and the fans at the game. Alou's hissy fit broke the focus of the rest of the team. That alone could have been overcome. Unfortunately, the crowd simply refused to let it go. That's what ultimately doomed the team. I was a cubs fan from my little league days onward until that game (mid 20's.) I was watching it with a friend and when I saw that I told him they were going to lose, miss the WS, and didn't deserve to go anyway. I mostly quit following the team after that and only bothered watching the last two games of the series they won (almost hoping Cleveland would win.)
Strangely enough 2003 was the first year I started following them thanks to my grandparents. My fandom was at an all time high in 2016. Now I hardly keep up with them. Seeing this video and rethinking of the Bartman incident, I wouldn't be surprised if others stopped following them based on how fans treated him.
I always put it to Alou over-reacting to the play. That, in turn, effected everyone else on the team. If he had walked away, and showed confidence in the pitcher on the next pitch, Prior might have felt good going into the next pitch, instead of thinking of what ifs.
Prior had Pierre and Castillo at two strikes and he couldn't put either of them away. Castillo also had a great take on the curve ball breaking down and in. These were all signs rhat Prior was tiring
As a huge cubs fan, thank you for making this video. Steve bartman is the last person who should be blamed. You cant blame 1 potential out for giving up 8 runs
Dusty Baker cost us that game, should've took Prior out. It was a fkn closeout game! managers in today's game dont even have to think twice to go to bullpen in a situation like that.
The fact that Steve Bartman is still afraid to show his face 16 years and a Cubs title later is just sad. Even it was Bartman's fault (which it wasn't) that the Cubs blew Game 6, they still had another game to go. That's entirely on the Cubs.
Good video. Also I think the thing that gets lost in all the talk about how that game and series went from the Cubs' perspective is how good the Marlins were. They had a losing record in mid-May when they changed managers, and then they took off. They closed the season on a 21-8 run to get the Wildcard. The lineup had Mike Lowell and Derrek Lee and Ivan Rodriguez , Juan Pierre and Luis Castillo had excellent seasons... Miguel Cabrera broke into the league as did Dontrelle Willis, they had a young Josh Beckett, etc... that was a good team. A three run lead in the 7th inning wasn't a guarantee of anything against them. That's the factor that's always left out, how good that Marlins team was.
@@matthewdaley746 The Yankees were pumped after beating the Red Sox in the ALCS & probably took the Marlins lightly, after such a heated 7-games series vs the Sawx, & the Marlins seemingly had nothing to lose at that point. But they polished off the Yankees in a World Series upset that probably doesn't get talked about as much as it should( probably because it spoiled a potential Cubs-Red Sox World Series that had everyone buzzing about it until both teams fell apart in the respective Game 7 LCS's ).
adding the steady reliable champ veteran jeff conine back late in the year getting a rookie minor league phenom to be so important for them in the playoffs named miguel cabrera plus ugueth urbina a solid pitcher in the season changed their whole outlook....without them they don't beat the cubs period...those 3 guys came to play
Bartman shouldn’t haven’t gotten the blame. mans is in hiding forever because of this. it wasn’t his fault that the Marlins got weak hits and getting on by errors. cubs fans needed a way to blame someone else for their troubles
losing to beckett pavano penny redmon urbina willis pug miggy lowell encarnacion pierre castillo gonzalez conine lee and hollandsworth doesnt look so bad now does it?....
Asmosis Jones what? no i’m just saying. bartman gets all the blame for passed balls and missed grounders. i never said it’s cause the marlins weren’t good
And the Cubs still had a Game 7 they could have won. They had a 5-3 lead in the 5th before the Marlins outscored them 6-1 to win the pennant. Kerry Wood didn't get it done despite hitting a two-run home run. Same story with the Red Sox and the Bill Buckner play in the 86 World Series: Sox had a lead in that Game 7.
Yup, and then John McNamara horribly mismanaged his bullpen, throwing a shell-shocked Calvin Schiraldi into the game to give up three runs when Oil Can Boyd and Roger Clemens were *right* *there* just waiting to be used. No one who knows baseball would ever blame Buckner for the Sox losing that World Series. Same with Bartman.
@@mrcnub No comment on Roger Clemens, but I do know that Oil Can got wasted the night before when he found out he wasn't going to be the game 7 starter due to the rain out. He was in no position to pitch.
@@goomni72 I hadn't heard about that. Then I looked at the Wikipedia page for the '86 World Series and sure enough, that was there. Wow. How the hell did he not get released/traded that winter? That is egregious.
@@yordaddy6988 I’m sure he’s not, since they Bengals somehow also blew Super Bowl LV. They had that game. I thought they should’ve kept running the ball with Mixon, but noooo we need to keep dropping Burrow back behind a crappy offensive line and let him get mauled by an absolutely stacked Rams pass rush. And let’s not get started on the BS penalties against the Bengals D on the final Rams scoring drive.
@@anthonyferrari711 And now after not repeating as AFC champs they are going to let 2 key defensive pieces leave for free (in all likelihood) because they are cheap (and rightfully aware of the need to pay Higgins, Burrow, Chase, and Wilson) and lacking in awareness. (Why not just tag Pratt if they are done trying to keep bates.)
Man, I remembered watching that game live on TV and when the whole disaster of an inning was over, my mind was not on Steve Bartman. It was on that damn missed double play by Alex Gonzales.
Wow! I'm sure glad I saw this. I hadn't realized how awful the Cubs were playing that whole inning. It is really unfair that Steve Bartman takes all the blame when he barely had anything to do with it.
It was brutal. I mean, they just fell apart after that ball in Bartman's direction. Gonzales committing that error was the precise wrong moment for them. And they couldn't get it together.
6:04 I’ve seen Gonzalez talk about this error so many times as the genuine, bonafide reason if you had to pick just one for that game’s collapse in that moment as a proper flash point. And he’s not wrong. And more than anything, dusty wasn’t out there here arguing for dan interference. He had every right to if he was so inclined .
People forget 2003 could have been Cubs vs Red Sox. Curse vs Curse. and both failed in 7 game series and both had starters that took big leads into the 8th innings. Both had managers that stuck with the starters to long. How insane is that????
As a White Sox fan, I laughed so hard watching that meltdown, but as a Chicagoan, I was sick to my stomach seeing how Bartman got treated. He did exactly what anyone would have done in that situation, and even worse, the guy that actually caught the ball didn't get any of the hate Bartman got. But like many have said, Alou probably wouldn't have caught the damn ball anyways.
if you don't love me at my "episode of the worst cubs inning ever" you don't deserve me at my "future episode of rewinder of game 7 of the 2016 world series"
The 2003 LCS was just remarkable to watch because the Red Sox and Cubs *BOTH* blew their respective series. Every single baseball fan was robbed in 2003 from seeing possibly the greatest headline to any World Series in history.
I firmly believe that if Moises Alou didn’t throw a temper tantrum like a 4 year old in need of a nap then Bartman wouldn’t have gotten half the hate or blame as he did. I also believe that the Cubs wouldn’t have imploded if Alou would’ve kept his composure. Regardless, Alou and Gonzales turned a small setback into a total meltdown. What championship professional sports team lets one bad call or one mistake completely destroy their confidence and derail their success? So weak.
I remember feeling a bit sick during that time so I went to bed when the Cubs had the lead and about to finish the game. You can imagine my reaction when I tuned in to Sportscenter the next day.
You know you’re terrible fans when you ruin a guys life for making a play on a ball out of the field of play just like any other fan would’ve done. Thank you Seth for the second best video on SB Nation! (2nd to 2011 Game 6 rewinder)
@@marcusmcgraw3519 I'm only complaining about people who can't appreciate what they have, by the way, my family's from Boston, and, I celebrate WHENEVER they lose!
Matthew Daley I get where you’re coming from, I’m just saying I don’t think his original comment was intended to come off that way from the looks of it
The best rewind would be of Messi’s free kick at the end of extra time in the World Cup Final, the background narratives for that would be very interesting
My dad always tells a story ab how right after this game happened he went fishing with Alex Gonzalez and asked ab the Bartman incident and all he said was "that man is the reason I will still have a career"
The LCSs in that year were amazing. As a Yankee fan, I didn't even have the energy left in me to care about the World Series. Apparently, neither did the Yankees, who lost to the Marlins that year.
Other than say 1986 (Astros vs Mets) and (Red Sox vs Yanks)the 2003 LCS round in the both the AL and NL that year might have both been as good as any you can have.
@@amirbaig5242 The Red Sox and Yankees could not have met in the post-season until the introduction of the Wild Card in 1995. They met in the ALCS in 99, 03, 04 and the ALDS in 2018 (which only became possible after the second wild card spot changed that rule in 2012).
I think you underrate the 2003 marlins roster...they were one of the most complete nl teams I ever seen...especially hitting wise...they had so much talent guys who would be in the 9 man lineup for other playoff teams that year never got to hit in the playoffs
The same thing could be said about Bill Buckner in the 1986 WS. The game was already tied due to a blown lead and the Red Sox still had the chance to win it all in game 7 which they also lost.
I suppose they technically had a chance by virtue of there being a Game Seven, but, Game Six is the type of loss where it's over before it's actually over.
IMO Cubs fans before 2016 would have a huge party to *Just* making the world series even if they were swept by the Yanks or Sox in the "03 World Series.
Going into both of these League Championship Series, I was convinced that the apocalypse would happen if the World Series ended up being between the Red Sox, and the Cubs... Thankfully, this possible scenario never happened, and both the Red Sox and the Cubs, ended their streak of losing against other teams. The baseball gods would have been truly cruel, to have had a WS featuring two teams that; hadn't won a WS in a very very long time, and were both convinced that it was due to a curse of their own making... I was so elated, when the Cubbies won it in 2016! They're my favorite NL team!
I blame Gonzalez, Baker ( for not calming and refocusing the team) and the Cub players for choking, not Bartman , instinctively reaching for a ball in the stands. Shame on all who blamed Bartman for the failure of millionaire ball players.
This was one of the most despicable treatments by sports “fans” of a person for any reason. Bartman did what any fan would do. He is not the reason the Cubs lost. They choked, pure and simple. The same as Buckner getting the blame for the Red Sox losing in 86, despite Bob Stanley having already blown the lead. As for another episode of the worst, as a Yankee fan, I nominate the worst Joe Torre managed playoff game: Game 5 of the 2004 ALCS, when aggressive base running against a pitcher and catcher who combined for at least 4 wild pitches/passed balls in one inning could have stopped the eventual complete collapse.
Most importantly...it was GAME 6!! Even after that crazy implosion, none of which was Bartman's fault...they could have made it all go away by winning game 7. They even had Kerry Wood on the mound.
Alex Gonzalez's messup was what killed our chances at a ring that year; I never understood the depth of the hatred Bartman received, especially because EVERYONE would have done the same thing if they were in his shoes.
@@EverythingIsGuchi I remember the cubs doing some type of formal apology to him a couple weeks after the win in 2016. Should've done it the night after this game instead
The thing is, they almost blew it in 2016 too. The last 5 innings of that game was probably the worst managing I've ever seen. Maddon needs to thank the baseball gods for having a team talented enough to overcome what he did that day.
I don’t think it’s his fault for some of his teams playoff failures. Is it his fault his Reds blew a 2-0 lead in the NLDS in 2012? Is it his fault his Nationals blew a 6 run lead in the clinching game in 2016? I feel like he deserves better than what he ultimately got out of his teams in the playoffs
Sometimes I wonder if the Cubs were supposed to win it all that year since the Red Sox and White Sox won it in 04 and 05. However the baseball gods decided to punish the Cubs a little longer for mistreating Bartman.
Steve Bartman had NOTHING to do with the complete and total collapse of the Cubs. Heck...they even had game 7 to win it and they blew that as well. This poor HUMAN BEING was run out of his own city. MY city! It's the biggest and worst display I have ever seen from my city, the Cub Fans and the media. Complete embarrassment. No team in sports history was as cocky as this organization. And when you have ONE ring in 106 years, you have NOTHING to brag about on any level. And payback came again yesterday when the Cubs had a fire sale and dumped all their divas. THAT was a great thing to see!
Life long Cubs fan. You are absolutely, 100% correct. Prior, Gonzalez, Baker are culprits, not Bartman. And Kerry Wood had chance to win Game Seven and failed. Great job. There was no curse.
Gaaaaaaawd. I love everything you guys do. But man did this hit the heart of a major Cubs fan. Never blamed Steve Bartman. But that damn goat... 11/3/2016
I was so invested in the 2003 WS being Cubs/Red Sox this year. I still think that matchup, at that time, would have been the most exciting WS of all time. A game 7 would have been nuclear.
I blame Dusty Baker. He did this same sh*** with the Giants the previous year. Constantly keeping in pitchers and blowing games. Poor managerial instincts during the latter parts of a game.
For the record, those 2003 Marlins had one of the most underrated hitting lineups ever. 2 incredible speedsters in Pierre and Castillo, followed by 4 legit homerun threats in Rodriguez, Lowell, Lee and Encarnacion, then Veteran Jeff Conine and youngster Cabrera. (As an Expos fan, those guys gave me lots of headaches lol)
And a greater pitching lineup than their regular season era would have you believe...pavano penny looper redman fox beckett willis urbina were a solid unit...they just faced some great hitting teams including two 100 win teams
You know that it is 2003 when the ad behind homeplate is for RadioShack.
Maybe that's why they failed. It was a cursed night all around for all except the Marlins.
@@stevencooke6451 It certainly didn't help matters.
@@stevencooke6451 Marlins ain't doing so good nowadays either
@@luiscurse They were definitely a won and done. If the Yankees win the WS this year perhaps they'll get a contributors trophy.
steven cooke I mean, Wrigley’s name is on the stadium and they’re still doing pretty well with sales, so not *all* around.
The blame should have been put to Alex Gonzalez error that loaded the bases
Alex Gonzalez legit should be sending Steve Bartman Christmas Cards every year. It's amazing no one ever brings up Gonzalez's error.
@@thedefinitionisthis Funny thing is the day after the game it was the literal first thing my history teacher brought up. Unlike Cubs fans he paid attention to the game.
Or that Dusty Baker wouldn't pull Prior, though seeing how bad the bullpen was it probably wouldn't make a difference if they did pull him
Matthew Dominic Estidola they still lost the next few games to lose that series so they could’ve just won next game
@@LucRice They were too busy crucifying Bartman to care.
That Alex Gonzalez error was what really opened the flood gates. Poor Bartman did what any other fan would do. There were at least five other people reaching for that ball.
Yeah I was found it weird how the entire stadium singled him out.
I always thought the same, if I were in that seat, I am going for that ball
@@shaneyoung3549 Plus Bartman didn't even catch the ball.
Or was reaching out onto the field, for that matter. Sure, his and Alou's hands crossed paths, but they were both on top of the railing--fair game for both fielder AND fan.
Dude was listening to the game on the radio in his earpiece while he was watching the game live and in person. He was a hardcore Cubs fan and probably cared more about that team than anyone in that stadium. It's a shame that he got the blame. He wasn't the only fan reaching for the ball and he wasn't the reason the Cubs lost!
Everybody remembers Bill Buckner for his mess up the 1986 world series. That became his legacy. Alex Gonzalez can thank his lucky stars that people are blaming Bartman instead of him
It was Moises Alous' reaction that put the focus on a fan. That prompted replays both on TV and at the park so everyone could see exactly who was in the middle of that fiasco. Rational was defied when fans poured out their vitriol towards a fan out of the field of play rather than a player in the game (which by the way actually did change the situation from bad to worse). All because Steve Bartman was a weak looking, nerdy outcast that was singled out.
Just like how Calvin Schiraldi and Bob Stanley need to thank Buckner for being the scapegoat. Schiraldi couldn't save a game for his life blowing the lead and Bob Stanley who needed one out tied the game with his wild pitch.
Yet Buckner got the most blame out of the 3.
@@EdwardCletusKasidy The Red Sox were a victim of their own celebration-based strategy.
Neither of them had a legacy really. Both were at 10-15 career WAR. Usually HOFamers have at least over 60+ WAR. These guys are just average starters anyway
Buckner got scapegoated for the Game 6 lost in the '86 World Series but it was the Red Sox' bullpen that ran out of gas & could not shut the door on the Mets that night. And Schiraldi throwing a pitch in the dirt that allowed the tying run to score.
The 30/30 episode is a great watch. It clearly showed that 7 arms were outstretched reaching for the ball before it got there (including the guy who recovered it and sold it for 150K to be destroyed), and Bartman got all the blame.
They needed a scapegoat...but the problem was the announcers highlighting his face. They literally ruined that man's life over a damn foul ball. It's still sad to this day. Dude was just doing a normal reaction of reaching for a foul ball.
The nerve of them to invite him to the parade after making that man's life hell. All over a damn game.
@@CREOLEHEAT its not just a game, its their job and they can lose their job for losing the game. I agree that inviting him was no more than grandstanding though.
@Caster Gil didn't say he was
1994 I semi agree. They gave him a ring and while it was definitely a PR move, it also cost tens of thousands of dollars, besides the fact that it’s a priceless piece of history for what is still his favorite team (and I assume the fact that it’s a genuine official World Series ring from the series that broke the longest championship drought in all of sports, it’s probably worth a huge premium on the collector’s market if he ever decided to sell it-which I’m sure he wouldn’t)
The treatment of Bartman was completely unacceptable
Agreed
@C R stfu
C R bro cmon it’s a baseball game he made a mistake and the Cubs blew it either way, shouldn’t be worth ruining his life
@C R it's called reaction! He saw the ball and reacted! It's not his fault the Cubs choked!
Couldn't disagree more
I lived in Chicago in 2003. Friends of mine worked for the same company as Bartman and people got fired for sending company wide emails mocking him and threatening him. It was never his fault. Gonzales blew a tailor-made double play ball.
Disgusting. The company did the right thing by firing them for sending him threats.
and he wasn't the only fan that reached for the ball. Plus, it's ONLY fan interference if the field of play is involved. That was the stands.
@@MasterOfViewership Good call by the 3rd base umpire too. And it was such an awkward angle he was going in at, how can anyone say he would've caught it?
@@lhsbandfreak11 He wouldn't have. Alou was a very poor player when it came to fielding
Everyone says that was automatically gonna be a double play ball but I highly doubt they would've gotten 2 even if fielded cleanly with how slowly that play was developing, they probably would've gotten 1 out at best.
I never understood how Bartman caused Alex Gonzalez to screw up an inning ending double play.
Oh right, fans needed a scapegoat.
Not to mention the team.
Scapebillygoat
@@FodderMoosie Bunch of moronic fans.
Cubs fans will never admit their players are bad
@@oABSOLo They'll never admit how badly they behaved either.
As a Cubs fan, the treatment of Bartman is a moment of great shame. More shameful than the drought itself. I wasn't following Baseball back then, but it's ridiculous that fans blamed him or the Billy Goat. Curses aren't real and I didn't believe in them way before 2016.
Sure fans forgive him now... but it was the Cubs' fault for that collapse. The incident was unrelated.
I feel ashamed of the way fans behaved... and I wasn't there to witness it. I know plenty of people blame the "curse".... but honestly Cubs fans.... we deserved the extra years of failure.
The true problem was that the Cubs sucked and had poor management for many years.
TLDR. Glad the Cubs won in 2016, but Bartman was unrelated to the collapse. Cubs fan scapegoated and ruined his life and that was inexcusable. As a Cubs fan, please don't do this to others.
BS Anime at worst, it shook their concentration and may have been minorly responsible, but the majority of the blame goes to the players and managers.
At least the curse of the Billy Goat is amusing and didn't result in any life ruining harassment. I don't mind the idea of sports curses, they're usually pretty fun to theorise about and sports has always been full of superstition
Those where not "fans" but blood thirsty hooligans.
I mean the goat did have a ticket
Ask any Astros fan, and they will tell you that Moises Alou couldn't catch a damn cold.
As an Astros fan that was my first thought and at the time I deemed him the most responsible for the Cubs meltdown and kind of still do.
He also REALLY sucked at running the bases, but that neither here nor there.
@@joedavis4257 He also sucked at controlling his emotions.
Met fans too
@@TheDanrox110 The New York Mets, underachieving since 1987.
The Worst Playoff Sweep: 2019 Lightning
I do hope that SB makes a video of that "collapse" in the 1st round of the 2019 Stanley Cup.
I watched Bjorkstrand's game 4 goal thinking, that's it, it's over, not knowing three more would be added for the exclamation point.
That was utterly baffling: one of the greatest regular seasons of all time and up 3-0 in game one, followed by disaster.
@@edgar1420 The Spurs spent everything they had winning the Championship the previous year. As for the Clippers, I doubt it, and, I was still too mad at their former owner to root for them, anyway.
@@edgar1420 Yeah, the 2015 Clippers that blew a 3-1 series lead vs the Rockets, had the Clippers won they would've advanced to their 1st Western conference final. They had a huge lead in the potential close-out Game 6 at home & fell apart, & went on to lose Game 7 back in Houston. Clippers STILL have not advanced beyond the 2nd round of the playoffs.
Even if Bartman wasn't in the way, Alou likely doesn't catch that ball. As a wise man once said, "Alou couldn't catch a cold during the plague". He wasn't a good fielder. That and a lack of durability is what's keeping him out of the hall of fame.
@Equality 7-2521 He's saying that to try, and, excuse his behavior, Spoiler Alert: IT DIDN'T WORK!
Equality 7-2521 exactly, alou is only saying that because he must blame himself for reacting the way he did. It’s certainly not his fault they put the blame on Bartman but his reaction got everyone’s attention and started the focus on bartman
Alou may have been a bad fielder but if you watch the replays that show multiple angles you have to be in denial to believe he wouldn't have caught that ball.
Anyone who actually blamed the collapse on Steve Bartman is just simply not a baseball fan
Cub's fans aren't the brightest bunch lol
Moises alou would be not catch. Steve bartman whom would not kicked out the game because he didn't touch the ball.
And people say us Mets fans are the worst all because we get easily hyped when the team is doing well. :/
Anyone who doesn’t realize why it’s Bartman’s fault doesn’t understand baseball
And those that reach into the field not knowing that their player is trying to make a play have no understanding of baseball-period.
I remember the next day on Around the Horn, the question was asked about how Bartman should handle this. The consensus seemed to be that he should just deal with it and face the music even as half the city was calling for his head (many of them literally) and I was just like "really?"
I'm more surprised that anyone watches that trash
Bartman didn’t lose game 7, the cubs did
exactly. that was game 6
@@gregjacksmusic game 7 was after game 6 and the cubs lost thar one as well. Bartman didn't cause them to lose either.
@@charliehofmann3524I'm a Cubs fan and this is absolute facts ✨
AAWWWEEEE!!! This was back when this Cardinals' fan used to somewhat feel sorry for the Cubs and their fanbase. Now I see this and only feel bad for Bartman.
Poor Bartman. There were like 10 people going for it and he’s the lone guy who gets blamed. The fan next to him took the ball and went on to sell it for 100k
Ding! Ding! Ding!
Did you ever hear the tragedy of Steve Bartman the wise?
No. It's not a story the MLB would tell me.
I did. He had such a knowledge of the foul ball, he could even stop the team he loved...from winning.
@@russellst.martin4255 damn 😂
@@russellst.martin4255 is it possible to learn this power?
@@matthewforbes2969 not from the cubs fan base
The blame goes to Alou and the fans at the game. Alou's hissy fit broke the focus of the rest of the team. That alone could have been overcome. Unfortunately, the crowd simply refused to let it go. That's what ultimately doomed the team.
I was a cubs fan from my little league days onward until that game (mid 20's.) I was watching it with a friend and when I saw that I told him they were going to lose, miss the WS, and didn't deserve to go anyway. I mostly quit following the team after that and only bothered watching the last two games of the series they won (almost hoping Cleveland would win.)
Strangely enough 2003 was the first year I started following them thanks to my grandparents. My fandom was at an all time high in 2016. Now I hardly keep up with them. Seeing this video and rethinking of the Bartman incident, I wouldn't be surprised if others stopped following them based on how fans treated him.
I get Alou being upset, it was in the moment. It was more on the reaction of everyone else.
Alex Gonzalez got bailed out by bartman, that error was devastating
Would have easily ended the inning....but no one even talks about it 🤣🤣😂...dude escaped all the blame.
The series was really lost in Game 5 when Josh Beckett completely shut them down and swung the momentum of the series.
@@AnthonyMcNeil Would have been a force play at second
The bullpen also fell apart
You shoulda been the first public interview for Steve Bartman after “the incident”
Derek Saiko at least the Cubs gave him a World Series ring for his troubles
Yeah I mean 15 years in hindsight IS really helpful during an interview.
It's just tough to have 15 years of hindsight instantaneously.
@@jaxking904 I don’t think a World Series ring makes up for getting your life ruined and passion destroyed
Those cubs fans pretend like they wouldn’t have done the exact same thing if they were in Bartmans place.
Cubs fans forget they were a worse team than the marlins record wise and talent wise...hitting wasn't even close
I always put it to Alou over-reacting to the play. That, in turn, effected everyone else on the team. If he had walked away, and showed confidence in the pitcher on the next pitch, Prior might have felt good going into the next pitch, instead of thinking of what ifs.
yes, Alou created to whole thing.
Prior had Pierre and Castillo at two strikes and he couldn't put either of them away. Castillo also had a great take on the curve ball breaking down and in. These were all signs rhat Prior was tiring
As a huge cubs fan, thank you for making this video. Steve bartman is the last person who should be blamed. You cant blame 1 potential out for giving up 8 runs
I blame Alou and Gonzalez more than Bartman.
Steve Bartman wasn’t the only one going for the ball
Dusty Baker cost us that game, should've took Prior out. It was a fkn closeout game! managers in today's game dont even have to think twice to go to bullpen in a situation like that.
He literarlly ruined Prior and Wood's careers by overworking them.
The bullpen sucked
The fact that Steve Bartman is still afraid to show his face 16 years and a Cubs title later is just sad. Even it was Bartman's fault (which it wasn't) that the Cubs blew Game 6, they still had another game to go. That's entirely on the Cubs.
So many other fans were reaching for the ball, unfortunately Bartman was the one to touch it so he took the blame for no reason
Good video. Also I think the thing that gets lost in all the talk about how that game and series went from the Cubs' perspective is how good the Marlins were. They had a losing record in mid-May when they changed managers, and then they took off. They closed the season on a 21-8 run to get the Wildcard. The lineup had Mike Lowell and Derrek Lee and Ivan Rodriguez , Juan Pierre and Luis Castillo had excellent seasons... Miguel Cabrera broke into the league as did Dontrelle Willis, they had a young Josh Beckett, etc... that was a good team. A three run lead in the 7th inning wasn't a guarantee of anything against them. That's the factor that's always left out, how good that Marlins team was.
And they did beat the Yankees. And then of course, imploded as a franchise.
@@stevencooke6451 That Yankees team was already spent.
@@matthewdaley746 The Yankees were pumped after beating the Red Sox in the ALCS & probably took the Marlins lightly, after such a heated 7-games series vs the Sawx, & the Marlins seemingly had nothing to lose at that point. But they polished off the Yankees in a World Series upset that probably doesn't get talked about as much as it should( probably because it spoiled a potential Cubs-Red Sox World Series that had everyone buzzing about it until both teams fell apart in the respective Game 7 LCS's ).
adding the steady reliable champ veteran jeff conine back late in the year getting a rookie minor league phenom to be so important for them in the playoffs named miguel cabrera plus ugueth urbina a solid pitcher in the season changed their whole outlook....without them they don't beat the cubs period...those 3 guys came to play
THANK YOU! Someone finally said it. That '03 Marlins team deserves its own 30for30.
Bartman shouldn’t haven’t gotten the blame. mans is in hiding forever because of this. it wasn’t his fault that the Marlins got weak hits and getting on by errors. cubs fans needed a way to blame someone else for their troubles
losing to beckett pavano penny redmon urbina willis pug miggy lowell encarnacion pierre castillo gonzalez conine lee and hollandsworth doesnt look so bad now does it?....
Asmosis Jones what? no i’m just saying. bartman gets all the blame for passed balls and missed grounders. i never said it’s cause the marlins weren’t good
And the Cubs still had a Game 7 they could have won. They had a 5-3 lead in the 5th before the Marlins outscored them 6-1 to win the pennant. Kerry Wood didn't get it done despite hitting a two-run home run. Same story with the Red Sox and the Bill Buckner play in the 86 World Series: Sox had a lead in that Game 7.
Yup, and then John McNamara horribly mismanaged his bullpen, throwing a shell-shocked Calvin Schiraldi into the game to give up three runs when Oil Can Boyd and Roger Clemens were *right* *there* just waiting to be used.
No one who knows baseball would ever blame Buckner for the Sox losing that World Series. Same with Bartman.
@@mrcnub Not to mention he pulled Clemens in Game Six.
@@mrcnub No comment on Roger Clemens, but I do know that Oil Can got wasted the night before when he found out he wasn't going to be the game 7 starter due to the rain out. He was in no position to pitch.
@@goomni72 I hadn't heard about that. Then I looked at the Wikipedia page for the '86 World Series and sure enough, that was there.
Wow. How the hell did he not get released/traded that winter? That is egregious.
@@mrcnub Clemens had a blister problem which was why he was pulled and was not available in Game 7
As a bengals fan I’d like to see: “how the bengals could’ve won 2 Super Bowls and haven’t won a playoff game in almost 20 years”
We're approaching 30 years in the playoff drought. And in SBXVI, they fell behind early, the comeback fell short.
I suppose you're having fun now
@@yordaddy6988 I’m sure he’s not, since they Bengals somehow also blew Super Bowl LV. They had that game. I thought they should’ve kept running the ball with Mixon, but noooo we need to keep dropping Burrow back behind a crappy offensive line and let him get mauled by an absolutely stacked Rams pass rush. And let’s not get started on the BS penalties against the Bengals D on the final Rams scoring drive.
@@anthonyferrari711 And now after not repeating as AFC champs they are going to let 2 key defensive pieces leave for free (in all likelihood) because they are cheap (and rightfully aware of the need to pay Higgins, Burrow, Chase, and Wilson) and lacking in awareness. (Why not just tag Pratt if they are done trying to keep bates.)
Man, I remembered watching that game live on TV and when the whole disaster of an inning was over, my mind was not on Steve Bartman. It was on that damn missed double play by Alex Gonzales.
As it should of been
and the fact that woods the next day hit a homer to give the cubs the lead again...…..in game 7....
Actually he tied the game.
Wow! I'm sure glad I saw this. I hadn't realized how awful the Cubs were playing that whole inning. It is really unfair that Steve Bartman takes all the blame when he barely had anything to do with it.
It was brutal. I mean, they just fell apart after that ball in Bartman's direction. Gonzales committing that error was the precise wrong moment for them. And they couldn't get it together.
6:04 I’ve seen Gonzalez talk about this error so many times as the genuine, bonafide reason if you had to pick just one for that game’s collapse in that moment as a proper flash point.
And he’s not wrong. And more than anything, dusty wasn’t out there here arguing for dan interference. He had every right to if he was so inclined .
You guys should do a rewinder on bautista's bat flip
And Carter's home run. Edwin's wild card walm off in '16 would be cool too
This was the single saddest sports moment of my lifetime, I’m amazed it took so long to get its own episode of the The Worst.
In my opinion he wouldn’t have made the play anyways
People forget 2003 could have been Cubs vs Red Sox. Curse vs Curse. and both failed in 7 game series and both had starters that took big leads into the 8th innings. Both had managers that stuck with the starters to long. How insane is that????
I miss the old intro “October 14 year of our Lord 200 and 3”
As a White Sox fan, I laughed so hard watching that meltdown, but as a Chicagoan, I was sick to my stomach seeing how Bartman got treated. He did exactly what anyone would have done in that situation, and even worse, the guy that actually caught the ball didn't get any of the hate Bartman got. But like many have said, Alou probably wouldn't have caught the damn ball anyways.
if you don't love me at my "episode of the worst cubs inning ever"
you don't deserve me at my "future episode of rewinder of game 7 of the 2016 world series"
And that was a great WS in its own right, even without the history.
@@stevencooke6451 Not for Dodgers fans.
Wow. Why wasn’t this the very first episode you ever made?? Of ANYTHING???
Dusty Baker is not a good manager period
The "Gene Mauch" of the most recent MLB past. Would take teams to the playoffs and or contention but have these legendary collapses.
Cubs choked but go blame the manager.
Dusty Baker: A Legacy of Failure
@@dontdoittoyoself6786 He KEEPS doing this, HELL YES BLAME THE MANAGER!
@@MikeTheKoopaWarrior Self-inflicted failure.
The 2003 LCS was just remarkable to watch because the Red Sox and Cubs *BOTH* blew their respective series. Every single baseball fan was robbed in 2003 from seeing possibly the greatest headline to any World Series in history.
How's this for a headline? "What If You Won The World Series, And, Nobody Cared?"
Alex Gonzalez has never caught that flack he should've.
I firmly believe that if Moises Alou didn’t throw a temper tantrum like a 4 year old in need of a nap then Bartman wouldn’t have gotten half the hate or blame as he did. I also believe that the Cubs wouldn’t have imploded if Alou would’ve kept his composure. Regardless, Alou and Gonzales turned a small setback into a total meltdown. What championship professional sports team lets one bad call or one mistake completely destroy their confidence and derail their success? So weak.
I remember feeling a bit sick during that time so I went to bed when the Cubs had the lead and about to finish the game. You can imagine my reaction when I tuned in to Sportscenter the next day.
You didn't miss anything you would have wanted to see.
You know you’re terrible fans when you ruin a guys life for making a play on a ball out of the field of play just like any other fan would’ve done. Thank you Seth for the second best video on SB Nation! (2nd to 2011 Game 6 rewinder)
As someone living in the state above Illinois, I politely ask for more WORST videos on the Cubs
I'm 40, in my lifetime, Chicago hasn't even gone A DECADE without winning a Championship in SOMETHING, quit complaining.
@@matthewdaley746 I think they're on your side, Matthew.
Matthew Daley looks like only person complaining here is you
@@marcusmcgraw3519 I'm only complaining about people who can't appreciate what they have, by the way, my family's from Boston, and, I celebrate WHENEVER they lose!
Matthew Daley I get where you’re coming from, I’m just saying I don’t think his original comment was intended to come off that way from the looks of it
Can you please do a rewinder on the 2014 world cup match between Germany and Brazil
It's not a Rewinder (A singular important moment), it's definitely an episode of "The Worst"
The best rewind would be of Messi’s free kick at the end of extra time in the World Cup Final, the background narratives for that would be very interesting
Alex Gonzalez, Gold Glove Winner. Somehow....somehow it happened.
My dad always tells a story ab how right after this game happened he went fishing with Alex Gonzalez and asked ab the Bartman incident and all he said was "that man is the reason I will still have a career"
The LCSs in that year were amazing. As a Yankee fan, I didn't even have the energy left in me to care about the World Series. Apparently, neither did the Yankees, who lost to the Marlins that year.
Other than say 1986 (Astros vs Mets) and (Red Sox vs Yanks)the 2003 LCS round in the both the AL and NL that year might have both been as good as any you can have.
AmericanGiant100 Sox played the angels in 86
@@amirbaig5242 The Red Sox and Yankees could not have met in the post-season until the introduction of the Wild Card in 1995. They met in the ALCS in 99, 03, 04 and the ALDS in 2018 (which only became possible after the second wild card spot changed that rule in 2012).
I think you underrate the 2003 marlins roster...they were one of the most complete nl teams I ever seen...especially hitting wise...they had so much talent guys who would be in the 9 man lineup for other playoff teams that year never got to hit in the playoffs
The same thing could be said about Bill Buckner in the 1986 WS. The game was already tied due to a blown lead and the Red Sox still had the chance to win it all in game 7 which they also lost.
I suppose they technically had a chance by virtue of there being a Game Seven, but, Game Six is the type of loss where it's over before it's actually over.
Am I the only one who thinks the Cubs likely would have lost to either the Red Sox or the Yankees had they actually made the World Series in 03?
IMO Cubs fans before 2016 would have a huge party to *Just* making the world series even if they were swept by the Yanks or Sox in the "03 World Series.
No.
@@wsmokr I think the Marlins were just unstoppable.
@@matthewdaley746 They got hit at the right time.
@@wsmokr Dusty Baker's teams always got cold at the worst possible time.
Going into both of these League Championship Series, I was convinced that the apocalypse would happen if the World Series ended up being between the Red Sox, and the Cubs... Thankfully, this possible scenario never happened, and both the Red Sox and the Cubs, ended their streak of losing against other teams. The baseball gods would have been truly cruel, to have had a WS featuring two teams that; hadn't won a WS in a very very long time, and were both convinced that it was due to a curse of their own making... I was so elated, when the Cubbies won it in 2016! They're my favorite NL team!
This game was going well Prior to that incident
😂😂😂😂...good one
Glad to see this series back!
Recommendation: Some motorsports episodes...Worst F1 race, Worst Daytona 500...just a couple examples
imagine having your life ruined cuz you caught a baseball at a baseball game
He didn't even keep the ball lol.
And it was only Game 6. ESPN Classic does a great job explaining it in "Top 5 Reason...You Cant Blame Bartman"
I do love the fact that after the Cubs 2016 World Series win, Cubs owner Tom Ricketts gave Bartman a World Series Ring.
I blame Gonzalez, Baker ( for not calming and refocusing the team) and the Cub players for choking, not Bartman , instinctively reaching for a ball in the stands. Shame on all who blamed Bartman for the failure of millionaire ball players.
Steve didnt deserve the hate at all he didnt know it was going to be fair
This was one of the most despicable treatments by sports “fans” of a person for any reason. Bartman did what any fan would do. He is not the reason the Cubs lost. They choked, pure and simple. The same as Buckner getting the blame for the Red Sox losing in 86, despite Bob Stanley having already blown the lead. As for another episode of the worst, as a Yankee fan, I nominate the worst Joe Torre managed playoff game: Game 5 of the 2004 ALCS, when aggressive base running against a pitcher and catcher who combined for at least 4 wild pitches/passed balls in one inning could have stopped the eventual complete collapse.
Idea: Worst Second Half of a Super Bowl - Atlanta vs New England
Rewinder: Cubs Vs Indians Game 7 Bryant's final out
Worst First Half: New England vs Atlanta.
Most importantly...it was GAME 6!! Even after that crazy implosion, none of which was Bartman's fault...they could have made it all go away by winning game 7. They even had Kerry Wood on the mound.
I bet if Alou was up on the stands and Bartman on the field, Bartman would've still made the catch.
Bartman didn't make the catch btw.
lmao, at least they mentioned the 2016 cubs in a rewind. but thank you for shedding light on us cubs fans finding a scape goat
As a Cardinals fan who is having a rough day, I needed this.
Alex Gonzalez's messup was what killed our chances at a ring that year; I never understood the depth of the hatred Bartman received, especially because EVERYONE would have done the same thing if they were in his shoes.
I blame the bullpen...they were god awful allowing the fish to score 8 in a game and 9 two times in Wrigley...smdh
This is why true baseball fans hate Thom Brennaman. Putting the narrative on Bartman nearly got the guy killed.
Steve Lyons didn't exactly help matters either.
Thank you great video 👏👏👏👍.
I feel bad for Bartman, it showed Cub's fans true colors how they treated him
Those sucks for how they treated him. They deserved that loss for that
Another Awesome Vid Seth!!!
I just saw "the worst cubs... inning" and already knew what was up.
Oh well, 2016 healed those wounds.
lol we would still be pissed if when didnt win in 2016
Ask Steve Bartman if 2016 healed his wounds
@@EverythingIsGuchi We would, if we could find him.
@@EverythingIsGuchi I remember the cubs doing some type of formal apology to him a couple weeks after the win in 2016. Should've done it the night after this game instead
The thing is, they almost blew it in 2016 too. The last 5 innings of that game was probably the worst managing I've ever seen. Maddon needs to thank the baseball gods for having a team talented enough to overcome what he did that day.
The Cubs did a shameful thing to their fan by making him a scapegoat while it was their freaking job to win the freaking game.
Next: The Worst punt that got blocked but was called back due to an offsides penalty
steve bartman doesnt deserve all the blame but he also should get some. like i get it. We are supposed to be nice but cmon, that killed momentum
Giants fan here, so many emotions about Dusty. Love the man as a character but dread thinking about his career as a MLB manager yikes.
The MLB's Marty Schottenheimer
I don’t think it’s his fault for some of his teams playoff failures. Is it his fault his Reds blew a 2-0 lead in the NLDS in 2012? Is it his fault his Nationals blew a 6 run lead in the clinching game in 2016? I feel like he deserves better than what he ultimately got out of his teams in the playoffs
Well he's the common denominator in all these playoff chokes. Id say the amount of blame he gets is appropriate.
@@marcusmcgraw3519 Yes, because he repeatedly kept falling at the final hurdle.
@@bigbearkat2010 I think he isn't blamed enough!
You know your team is/was snake bit when they get their own episode of the worst
Please do 2005 White Sox in a rewind. Game 2 of the ALCS. Give the South Siders some love!
@7:43 So Leon Durham was Bill Buckner before Bill Buckner.
Sometimes I wonder if the Cubs were supposed to win it all that year since the Red Sox and White Sox won it in 04 and 05. However the baseball gods decided to punish the Cubs a little longer for mistreating Bartman.
Steve Bartman had NOTHING to do with the complete and total collapse of the Cubs. Heck...they even had game 7 to win it and they blew that as well.
This poor HUMAN BEING was run out of his own city. MY city! It's the biggest and worst display I have ever seen from my city, the Cub Fans and the media. Complete embarrassment.
No team in sports history was as cocky as this organization. And when you have ONE ring in 106 years, you have NOTHING to brag about on any level.
And payback came again yesterday when the Cubs had a fire sale and dumped all their divas. THAT was a great thing to see!
2003
Cubs last world series 1908
Chicago last world series 1917
As a Cubs fan if Alou caught that ball that would've been a phenomenal play. I didn't think he would've caught the ball if Bartman didn't interfere.
Make a video about 7-1 World Cup semifinal
What even more crazy is that Bill Buckner was traded to the Red Sox for that cubs first baseman you mentioned
Who’s here afte Cubs 2019 collapse?
Life long Cubs fan. You are absolutely, 100% correct. Prior, Gonzalez, Baker are culprits, not Bartman. And Kerry Wood had chance to win Game Seven and failed. Great job. There was no curse.
Cleveland Indians fans everywhere are crying in the corner
Gaaaaaaawd. I love everything you guys do.
But man did this hit the heart of a major Cubs fan.
Never blamed Steve Bartman.
But that damn goat...
11/3/2016
I was so invested in the 2003 WS being Cubs/Red Sox this year. I still think that matchup, at that time, would have been the most exciting WS of all time. A game 7 would have been nuclear.
I blame Dusty Baker. He did this same sh*** with the Giants the previous year. Constantly keeping in pitchers and blowing games. Poor managerial instincts during the latter parts of a game.
As a cardinals fan, this was great to watch.
So if I go to a Cubs game with a Bartman Cubs Jersey, how often would I have to watch my back
You won’t survive. The fans there are almost on Philadelphia fan levels.
@@TheKnockout08 The Eagles fans at least can say they beat Brady.
Day 7 of asking for a Minneapolis Miracle rewinder.
There is one
Nickey G. no there isn’t.
For the record, those 2003 Marlins had one of the most underrated hitting lineups ever. 2 incredible speedsters in Pierre and Castillo, followed by 4 legit homerun threats in Rodriguez, Lowell, Lee and Encarnacion, then Veteran Jeff Conine and youngster Cabrera. (As an Expos fan, those guys gave me lots of headaches lol)
And a greater pitching lineup than their regular season era would have you believe...pavano penny looper redman fox beckett willis urbina were a solid unit...they just faced some great hitting teams including two 100 win teams