The Chicago Cubs have forgiven Steve Bartman. Maybe their fans will, too.
Bartman got a World Series ring from the owners of the Cubs, who wanted him to know their long-awaited 2016 championship should erase 13 years of hard feelings. During the 2003 National League championship series game, Bartman was a spectator at Wrigley Field when he interfered with a foul ball that wasn’t caught by Cubs outfielder Moises Alou. Chicago allowed eight runs that inning and lost the series to the Florida Marlins.
TV cameras immediately focused on Bartman as the North American media started making him into such a scapegoat that he took his family into hiding for more than a decade. After receiving his ring, Bartman issued a statement to say he was honoured and hopeful that such scapegoating would cease forever. Most baseball fans will nod and agree, but Cubs fans may not be so agreeable.