FanPost

Poll: Should Bartman return

I'm going to say a few things about Steve Bartman here, but before I do, please vote in the poll below before reading further.

Voted?

Okay. Here's what was on my mind. I read this post over at Cubs Stats yesterday about the Bartman story that would not die. As part of its 30 for 30 documentary series, ESPN will produce a documentary on Bartman and game 6. Here's a quote from the article:

"Bartman attempted a public appeal, but his fate was already sealed by the Cub fans' need for a scapegoat to explain a near-century of losing. Although Cubs Nation has since moved on to other seasons and other losses, Bartman remains ostracized from a community he lives in and a team he once loved. Oscar-winning documentarian Alex Gibney will explore this relationship and try to answer the question, can Steve Bartman ever forgive Chicago?"

For what it's worth, I don't blame Bartman for what happened, or really anyone else (Alou, Prior, Gonzalez, Baker) - it was just some crappy luck. But it got me wondering - all the Cubs fans I know have nothing against Bartman - they either don't blame him or did but have moved on from the 2003 drama. It seems to me that this whole Bartman saga is largely driven by national media and non-Cubs fans. Am I right here?

I think it would be a great moment for Cubs fans and baseball in general if they brought Bartman back, either in a playoff game (preferably), or in a regular season game (for those of you who might think he would jinx things). How do you feel, and how do you think the crowd would react? Or is Bartman just doomed to never return to Wrigley? Reportedly Bartman is still a Cubs fan, and he may be a bigger one than all of us to remain so after what happened to him

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