Moises Alou: I wouldn't have caught Bartman ball

[David]

Did Prior really need "settling down?" He wound up throwing ball 4 in an incredibly long AB against Castillo...Then he goes 0-2 on Pudge and happens to give up a hit, (which, IIRC, scored Pierre). That's just bad luck. Hits happen over the course of the game. You could argue that Prior shouldn't have given him anything hittable on 0-2 I guess, but I'm pretty sure the pitch was low and outside. Of course, Pudge seemed to hit everything low and away that series.

 

Then he induced a DP ball from Cabrera.

 

Maybe you can make an argument that a visit was warranted after Gonzo botched the DP ball, as that would obviously add to the frustration immensely, but, as someone else mentioned, I'm pretty sure a visit was made (albeit by Rothschild) at that point, anyway.

 

Before the Gonzalez error, however, there really wasn't huge cause for concern. It was a minor jam at that point, IMO.

[biittner77]

Lost in all of this is the fact that the Cubs entire pitching staff was spent. Prior had nothing left. Wood in game 7 showed he had nothing left and no one in the BP could get anyone out. So how do they beat the heavily favored Yankees if they went on to beat the Marlins?

 

ESPN generally sucks at most things they do but their "Top 5 reasons you can't blame Steve Bartman" was pretty good.

[Mugged By Fluffy]

Well IMHO, much like a TO during an opponents run in college basketball, I think a walk to the mound and a meeting would have calmed everybody down. Especially a young overworked Prior! I really think Prior needed it more than anyone.

 

baseball is a different sport, plus the athletes do it for a living and are grown men. if they can't calm themselves down within the slow pace of a baseball game, then they shouldn't be in the big leagues.

 

but i understand your point.

 

 

I don't know about that. I mean assess the situation and take a look at what you've got here. You've got a kid a year removed from college on the mound pitching in the NLCS for a legendary team that is famous for choking come crunch time.

 

You also have a red hot Marlins team that Dusty (and all of baseball) knows has been pulling off miraculous comebacks and unbelievable finishes throughout the month of September and the playoffs with their offense.

 

You also have Alou and his tantrum inciting the fans and the crowd going nuts over this blunder.

 

Dusty need to do something. He should have at least gone out there and settled down rookie Prior. Maybe even pull a Tony LaRussa-like stall tactic and go out there and talk to the umps. players, and waste time so that the players could collect their thoughts and refocus.

[David]

Prior was neither a year removed from college (well, college baseball) nor a rookie in 2003. Had he been, he would've been a consensus ROY, but yea.

[hardcorecubfan]

Alex Gonzales should thank God every single day for Steve Bartman. Otherwise, he'd be a scapegoat of Buckner-like proportions.

 

he always has been in my book, thank god we traded that bum

[CubmanPi]

Did Prior really need "settling down?" He wound up throwing ball 4 in an incredibly long AB against Castillo...Then he goes 0-2 on Pudge and happens to give up a hit, (which, IIRC, scored Pierre). That's just bad luck. Hits happen over the course of the game. You could argue that Prior shouldn't have given him anything hittable on 0-2 I guess, but I'm pretty sure the pitch was low and outside. Of course, Pudge seemed to hit everything low and away that series.

 

Then he induced a DP ball from Cabrera.

 

Maybe you can make an argument that a visit was warranted after Gonzo botched the DP ball, as that would obviously add to the frustration immensely, but, as someone else mentioned, I'm pretty sure a visit was made (albeit by Rothschild) at that point, anyway.

 

Before the Gonzalez error, however, there really wasn't huge cause for concern. It was a minor jam at that point, IMO.

The very next pitch was a wild pitch in addition to being ball four (Pierre goes from first to third on the play). You could also see every vein in his neck and face when he was yelling for fan interference.

 

In fairness to KGon, the ball he booted was a slow-rolling grounder that he had to rush to have any prayer at all of getting two, and I don't think a clean play and spotless turn at second gets Cabrera. (It still would have gotten an out and led to a 3-3 tie going into bot 8.)

[Shyam]

It's weird/sad how years later, just thinking about that inning still makes me nauseous and just unbelievably sad. I need a Cubs win today.

[Chris]

A few video clips of Bartman being escorted out of Wrigley came up on a recent YouTube search I did and they were scary to watch. He probably thought he was about to die.

[WindyCity]

IMO Prior should have been pulled from that game even before the Bartman play... he was gassed and it was very noticeable. Dusty and AGon have a lot more blame for what happened that inning.

[danonwaveland]

I'm with the group that believes Dusty should have gone out, toothpick firmly planted in his front teeth, and told Prior, "Dude. Chill. What are you gonna do, man? Just chill." Since he was still in his first (honeymoon) year, the players probably would have responded. But he offered no leadership, IMHO.

 

Yeah, and Gonzalez. He hasn't returned for any Cub Conventions, has he? He'd be as popular as Billy Buck at a Red Sox Convention.

 

You know, this whole topic makes me nauseous.

_________________________________________________

Sandberg>Mazeroski>Morgan

[Jehrico]

I'm still mad for the broken TV I endured after I threw my shoe at it when Gonzo fumbled that ball. I really don't want to rehash the end of that game anymore.

[TBone]

We lost that game? I must have really been drunk!

 

Moises could have caught the ball and likely would have, at least according to the replays. His glove appeared well positioned to have said ball plop into it.

 

Gonzo, meet Leon Durham, although the Bull could actually hit and wasn't in the game solely as a defensive specialist.

 

Dusty is a horrible manager and it has nothing to do with whether or not he came out to calm everyone down that game. If he were to come out, he should have sprayed that weird pixie dust crap on the field on his way to the mound. He singlehandendly set this organization back a number of years by his pitching staff management. Then there was 04 where he was too nice to yell at anyone while the whole team continuously fumbled opportunities to win the wild card.

 

Good stuff!

 

There's always next year though, right?

[Dallas Green]

The blame goes Alou, Baker, Gonzo. Alou is one of the biggest POS is baseball and this comment has cemented him as an all-time great.

[Dallas Green]

Sorry, in baseball.

[Lefty]

Well, I would have caught it. Alou su**s.

[vance_the_cubs_fan]

I prefer not to relive any of 2003 that follows the win of game five in Atlanta. In my fantasy world, the season ended right there.

[TruffleShuffle]

f you moises. that's about all i have to say.