"One for the Road:" Remembering The Bartman Game

By Chuck Sudo in News on Oct 14, 2010 9:30PM

You didn't think we'd go through the day without mentioning this, did you? Seven years ago today the second biggest meltdown we ever witnessed in a baseball playoff series (the biggest being the 2004 AL Championship series) occurred. This game, Wrigley Field Premium Ticket Services and the 2004 Cubs season set in motion our switching of baseball allegiances from North to South sides. Steve Bartman's name may now live in infamy, but so should Moises Alou's overreaction, which led to Mark Prior's overreaction and wild pitch walk and the key to the breakdown, Alex Gonzalez's fumbling of a double play ball that opened the floodgates.

Here is the full meltdown for you. The phrase "losing one's innocence " is bandied about so often that it's become cliche. Seeing Bartman being escorted from the Friendly Confines by security as the Wrigley Faithful consider rending him from limb to limb while simultaneously booing the Cubs for blowing the lead is a prime example of seeing it happen before your eyes. With the raised expectations of the team under Dusty Baker and Lou Piniella, this game served as cold water to the face of thousands in the crowd that Wrigley Field was more than just the World's Largest Beer Garden (although to some it still serves that purpose).

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