The legacy of Steve Bartman lives on, in a negative way, pictured here trying to catch a foul ball in play. AP Photo
Baseball is a very superstitious sport.
Whether it’s a curse that trading the Great Bambino to the Yankees in 1918 resulted in 86 years without a title remains to be seen, but Cubs fans can’t help but blame Steve Bartman for the Cubs demise, and well, the firing of GM Jim Hendry Friday.
For those who do not know Steve Bartman, Mr. Bartman thanks you for having one less person that hates him.
In the eighth inning of game six of the 2003 NLCS, the Cubs were five outs away from a World Series, only for Bartman to prevent Moises Alou from catching a foul ball near the stands.
Eight runs later, the Cubs lost their 3-0 lead. Then they lost game seven, and Mr. Bartman had a target on him if he ever dared to veer into the North side of Chicago.
The Cubs even won back-to-back division championships in 2007 and 2008, and were favored to win a World Series for the first time since 1908.
They didn’t win a single playoff game. A $135 million payroll turned sour, and the losses piled on.
The Cubs finished fifth in the NL Central last year, and at 55-70 and 18.5 games back, are sitting just above the lowly Houston Astros in fifth place yet again.
So Hendry was told not to let the door hit him on the way out. Nine years on the North side, and no Hollywood ending. Only a bitter divorce from a once storied franchise.
Widely praised for landing third baseman Aramis Ramirez in 2003 and Nomar Garciaparra in 2004, along with former manager Lou Piniella, the bloated contracts haunted him, and led to his demise.
Let’s take a look at those contracts, ignoring the 2003 NLCS appearance and Piniella taking the Cubs to two straight division titles:
Alfonso Soriano seven years, $136 million; Aramis Ramirez five years, $75 million; Kosuke Fukodome four years, $48 million. But the ones that probably hurt the most are Carlos Zambrano’s five year, $91.5 million deal and Milton Bradley’s 3-year deal for $30 million.
Not welcomed back for 2012, it was an hour glass already half-empty waiting to fill when he asked to stay through the trade deadline.
“Not many get to be the GM for nine (years) without a world championship,” Hendry told the USA Today.
“So I got more than my fair chance to do that…”
Maybe there is a curse. 103 years and counting. Baseball remains very superstitious. Why?
Because a team loaded with talent was not expected to be this bad, and there is no reason why they should be this bad. Who would’ve thought Zambrano would clean out his locker in the middle of a game, or that Milton Bradley would be, well, Milton Bradley, playing them like the game company that bears his name.
Every GM makes his fair share of mistakes, whether it’s a prospect who never lives up to the hype, or a bloated contract they can’t get rid of.
However, 103 years is a long time to be disappointed, especially when a you have the sixth highest payroll that gives you ugly baseball.
Maybe the Cubs can pry Yankees GM Brian Cashman away from the Bronx. Either way, the Windy City just got a bit colder this summer.
Fifth place and out of contention. Going to give any fan the chills. Even in a very humid August.