MovieChat Forums > Catching Hell (2011) Discussion > Bartman's Friends

Bartman's Friends

posted 13 years ago by jcwoodfall
18 replies | jump to latest

What was the deal with his so called friends? Once the incident happened they acted as if they didn't even know the guy. The fans to Bartman's (the lady he asked if he did something worng)left seemed to care much more about him then they did. If I'm rolling with someone to a game and something breaks out I'm backing them 100% of the way. They were so pathetic.

I think the director also made a great point about Alex Gonzolez' error. How is that not the focal point of the collapse? Even if Bartman caused an out to only be a strike, this guy booted a sure double play to end the inning. Far worse if you ask me.

[–] redsfan77 13 years ago

I thought the same thing! What a couple of jerks. I was so surprised they stood there like they didn't even know him, then they ditched him after the game. Hope they can live with themselves.

[–] ralpho316 13 years ago

He brought them to the game too! I agree, that thing about his friends is embarrassing. He had go through all of that ALONE! All the nonsense on the way home...ALONE!

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[–] Jay26 13 years ago

What Alex Gonzalez did was an error. Anybody who points the finger at a person for making an error is a total hypocrite because we all make them from time to time. How the hell can people expect Alex Gonzalez to be perfect when we know we aren't? What Bartman did he did on purpose. The fans were angry and they needed somebody to be pissed off at over the eighth inning meltdown. That's why what he did is much more memorable to those fans.

[–] mns7391 13 years ago

Alex Gonzalez is a professional baseball player, paid millions of dollars to perform seamlessly at the shortstop position.

[–] Jay26 13 years ago

Nobody will ever perform seamlessly at anything. That includes you. Millions of dollars does not make somebody perfect. You're a hypocrite.

[–] Psymin1 13 years ago

Your argument is absurd: does the name Bill Buckner mean anything to you? The fans are willing to turn on anyone, regardless if they are a pro athlete who made a mistake or a fan who made a mistake. If you still think that the crowd at Wrigley was in the right by attacking Bartman, and the live he has had to live ever since was one he earned, you should be ashamed of yourself.

[–] Rupert__Pupkin 13 years ago

Jay 26,

Sweet Jesus. Stop using the word hypocrite. You clearly have no idea what it means.

Alex Gonzalez was one of the best (if not the best) defensive shortstops in baseball. He dropped a routine ground ball that most little leaguers could have made easily. Gonzalez's mistake was a mental one. Bartman's mistake was also a mental one. So the mistakes are comparable in that regard. BUT...Gonzalez is paid millions of dollars a year to NOT make those mental mistakes. Bartman was a just a fan who had a lapse in judgment (like the dozen or so fans around him). I don't quite get your fascination to crucify the poor guy.

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[–] doggie_rodriguez 9 years ago

What Bartman did he did on purpose.

Bartman was a fan at a game trying to catch a ball that was hit to him. Millions of people do this every year. Most without thinking about if it hurts their team or not. Which would make it an "ERROR" in judgement... Which is no different than booting a ground ball.

That's why what he did is much more memorable to those fans.

It was memorable b/c the fans needed a scapegoat. And what better scapegoat than a little turtle neck wearing nerd? If Bartman had been 250 pounds and ripped, we wouldn't even know his name right now b/c no one would have messed with him.

Certainly not that doofus in the documentary that tried to fight him and threw beer on him. (there's a winner right there, lol, and that grinning idiot seemed very pleased with himself in the documentary. Guess it doesn't take much to make people with low IQs to smile.)

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[–] sandmets22 13 years ago

Yeah, I was wondering the same thing. The friends were also removed by security, but then they disappear. They were more than just acquaintances because they all rented a hotel room by the stadium to celebrate after the game.

[–] jonathanstatsny 13 years ago

First off, the Gonzalez error was a big one, but the way the ball was chopped made it a difficult play and one that I personally don't see turned into a double play. It was hit deep into the shortstop position and I think maybe Gonzalez gets the man out on second, that's it.

As for Bartman's friends, we don't hear a lot about them. Let's put it this way, there isn't much they could do. I am sure they were being heckled as well and did anyone not realize how hostile of an environment it was at the time. Would you lip off at a bunch of fans? I probably would but I'm a huge guy who wouldn't be afraid of anyone, but most people wouldn't. They did the same things Bartman did, they sat there quietly in shock.

I can guarantee they know who they were and tried to contact them for this documentary. Everyone else seated near him got interviewed so you get the feeling ESPN would have figured out their names. But as the doc says, he has very loyal friends that don't divulge where he is.

We don't know a lot about his friends. All they say is that after the game Bartman couldn't reach them. Maybe they got jumped? Who knows? That was a pretty hostile environment and if someone recognized even them then they could have been harassed. I figure they just went back to the hotel for their own safety reasons. Maybe they didn't allow the friends to follow Bartman into the security office? Who knows?

[–] dkgambler 13 years ago

I was thinking the same thing, my friends have my back and vice versa. They must have been hangers on or something. The only decent people that I recall were the kids on his youth baseball team who took a stand while the neanderthals were in a feeding frenzy.

[–] NobodymournstheWicked 10 years ago

I bet that they were afaird for their lives that if they did anything to protect Steve Bartman, or made it be known to the other Chicago Cubs fans in the area, that they know him and friends with him, they would go after them as well. For the first 7 full innings he was unknown he was just an unknown Chicago Cubs fans, and the top of the 8th inning and he was still the same way, all the way until the incident happened. But once that incident happened, he went for just an unknown fan to becoming known and hated in Chicago at least to Chicago Cubs fans, and the replay was seen over and over again on the tv. I am not for sure what Chicago White Sox fans think about him, but that is another story for another time. But at least somebody cared, you ask a question about Alex Gonzolez' error, and so would the director. But the Bartman play matter more to Chicago Cubs fans, as if he not interfred with ball, would Alou be able to catch the ball, or would have it just gone foul, thad sadly nobody will ever know the answer to the question.

[–] rmontro 8 years ago

Remember in the documentary they compared Bartman to the scapegoat from Leviticus, which was a pretty interesting analogy. Christians believe that to be an archetype of Christ, and don't forget that Jesus' friends abandoned him as well {Peter denying that he knows him three times).