Clearly, last nights Cub's loss should be largely accredited to Alex Gonzales' error, rather than the so-called "fan interference." Everyone seems like their ready to crucify this guy when it wasn't even his fault.

while pinning last night's loss on the poor suck that went for the ball is tantamount to believing in being able to predict the future, i think his behavior is indicative of the general lack of consideration people show toward others who are simply trying to do their job. he got in the way and now he'll be paying for it for a long, miserable time. as irritating as i find his behavior, i find myself feeling bad for the guy having to pull up stakes over the whole thing. it's a bag of shit no matter how you look at it.

chad

The ball was obviously in the stands, which makes it okay for the fan to touch it. However, that isn't enough to dismiss, and he still should be paying attention to the right fielder who is running in and maybe can make a play on the ball, right? Wrong. If you look at the footage, Alou has to jump up over a wall that is pretty high. There was no angle for the headphoned fan to see this. It is not his responsibility to lean over and see what's going on on the field, especially because he is looking up and judging whether the ball is definately coming at him or not. What I am saying is, I blame the surrounding fans. The fact that not one of the people around there could have stepped in and grabbed this guy. Don't tell me that this thought has never crossed their minds, especially being right in the front row at a playoff game!

What I have determined is that most Cub fans are dumbshits. They don't think about what's going on, they are too busy drinking their Mai Tai's to pay attention to one of the most perfect games ever created. Then some incident happens, and they immediately get a mob mentality about who's fault something is where it isn't warranted (like a freakin' goat). Their blaming the wrong guy for that particular play.

Moreover, it's not any fans fault for the loss of the game. What about Alex Gonzalez with the potential DP? Did a fan let out a Bud belch and throw off his concentration? What about Dusty not going out to cool off Prior when he's screaming for fan interference (as if fan interference would have made a difference)? The guy is a young pitcher who obviously does have weaknesses; talk him down, that's what you get paid to do as a big time manager. The Cubs didn't lose because of a curse or a fan, they lost because they suck.

electrons wrote:The ball was obviously in the stands, which makes it okay for the fan to touch it.

If you take a look at the photo over at The Smoking Gun http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/cubfan1.html -- you'll see that you are completely wrong. It was fan interference. I blame the idiot fan, and the ump for making a bad call. That out was an important out. That's why it would have made a difference.

What I have determined is that most Cub fans are dumbshits.

I'm a Cub fan. Do you think I'm a dumbshit?

russ,

i agree that it was an unfortunate break, but it was obviously unintentional. today i received the same e-mail with a picture of the fan in cross hairs about five different times.
i'm also a Cubs fan, but i don't hold the actions of a drunk fan more accountable for the loss than the actions of Cubs players. Let it be a lesson to the less-than-bright fans who attend playoff games everywhere:

its only o.k. to interfere with the other team

jupiter wrote:i'm also a Cubs fan, but i don't hold the actions of a drunk fan more accountable for the loss than the actions of Cubs players.

Who said he was drunk? He didn't look drunk. He wasn't drinking at the time. This is the first time that I've heard anyone bring up the fact that he might have been drunk. Some will say that ALL cubs fans are drunks. Whatever, have you ever been to a White Sox game?

No.
What are those fans like?

So is this guy the Cub's equivalent of that kid who sucked in that Yankee's home run a couple of years ago?

Preface: From now on, the word "yankees" (or any derivative thereof) should be treated like any other vulgarity. With asterisks.


NO he's not the equivalent. Remember, the kid who caught the ball in the y***** game was a ball that could've been caught by BALTIMORE's outfielder. So it benefitted the Y*****S. Those evil fucking bastards who make my blood boil.


As much of a joy as the LCS was to watch in both leagues, I've become completely disenchanted with the sport of baseball and the way it is run, to the point where I don't know how much of the game I'll ever watch again. I'd explain further but it makes me too livid.

electrons wrote: If you look at the footage, Alou has to jump up over a wall that is pretty high. There was no angle for the headphoned fan to see this. It is not his responsibility to lean over and see what's going on on the field, especially because he is looking up and judging whether the ball is definately coming at him or not.

i've heard this argument on the radio, but the one thing people are not bringing up is the fact that he was listening to the game on the radio. i was not listening to the radio broadcast, but i'm sure that Pat Hughes described the ball in flight, Moises Alou running to the wall, the possibility of a catch and so forth...

that being said, i do not blame mr. bartman...

prior was losing his stuff, they kept working long counts on him that inning and dusty had NOBODY getting up in the pen---then he brought in Farnsworth to face a guy that can only hit fastballs and that's exactly what he did...sosa missed the cutoff man...gonzalez fumbled the ball...too many stupid errors in that inning and i believe dusty's errors blew games 6 and 7.

andyk who misses pickup baseball