The Vindication of Steve Bartman

A startling revelation comes at this, the beginning of the 2008 major league baseball season: Steve Bartman, the infamous Cub fan who lunged after a foul ball that many Wrigley-faithful believed would have been caught by then-Cubs outfielder Moises Alou–wouldn’t have. Or at least that’s what Alou told the Associated Press yesterday:

"Everywhere I play, even now, people still yell, ‘Bartman! Bartman!’ I feel really bad for the kid. You know what the funny thing is? I wouldn’t have caught it, anyway."

Just to refresh your memory: The Cubs were just five outs from going to the World Series at that point, but the Florida Marlins took advantage and rallied to win the game and eventually the series. Since then, Bartman has become the symbol of the organization’s post-season futility, but with this myth erased, will it finally be the time for the Cubs to erase their 70-year World Series drought?

You heard it here first: Cubs over the Tigers in five.