It’s been 12 years since Steve Bartman cemented his place in Chicago Cubs lore, but all appeared right again in the Cubs' world Wednesday as the ball intended for Moises Alou that fateful game day reunited with the player's mitt.
Bartman has never publicly spoken since 2003 when he wrote himself into the Cubs' history books during Game 6 of the NLCS against the Florida Marlins. Thousands watched on as Bartman infamously attempted to catch the ball that Cubs outfielder Moises Alou was going after.
Bartman quickly became a scapegoat for fans after the Cubs blew a 3-0 lead in the game and ultimately fell short of a World Series berth, and he has since avoided the spotlight entirely.
What is left of the ball is in Alou's glove that he wore on that fateful day, albeit 12 years too late.
The image was captured by NBC 5's Lauren Petty early Wednesday morning ahead of the night's highly-anticipated game:
FINALLY! What’s left of the “Bartman ball” and Moises Alou’s glove together...as it should have been in 2003! pic.twitter.com/eLya0UErzJ — Lauren Petty (@LaurenPettyNBC) October 7, 2015
Chicago Baseball
Last week, a group of fans extended an olive branch to the infamous fan. On the website GoFundMe, a page dedicated to raising money to send Bartman to Wednesday night's wild card game gained momentum.
“Lifelone Cubs fan wants to make amends for 2003, let’s make it happen," the page writes. "First we need to find him to get him to the big game. If anyone knows where he is at, tell him we are looking for him. The money would pay for his expenses including his ticket, hotel room, flights and a little spending money."
But apparently the famous fan isn’t going to participate in any reunion. A spokesman, who spoke to ESPN about the situation, says that Bartman will not be attending the game.
“He has no intention of being at the wild card game," the spokesman told ESPN. "Steve is glad the money will go to a good cause and will be cheering on the Cubs as always.”
