No comparison

No, most people would not reach onto the field of play and interfere in the game. He should have been ejected for interference regardless of the impact of the play.
And yes, he did cause the Cubs to lose that game. If he does not reach onto the field, where spectators do not belong, Alou makes the catch and ends the inning. There is no Prior implosion and there is no Gonzalez error. It's that simple.
Just because you feel bad for the guy does not mean it wasn't his fault.

If you're sitting in the first row of a stadium you should know not to interfere and warnings are made before the game.

No, you were correct the first time -
The Cubs shortshop who committed the error in the 8th inning was indeed Alex Gonzalez.

Adrian Gonzalez is a completely unrelated baseball player who currently plays first base for the Boston Red Sox and was formerly with the San Diego Padres.

It seems as if Fate wanted to rub it into the Cubs' faces: During Game 4 of the '05 WS, the Astros hit a foul ball that was curving into the stands on the third base side. White Sox third baseman Joe Crede ran over and caught it while being in "hostile territory". We all know how that series ended up, don't we?



Yippee: "For king!"
Yappee: "For country!"
Yahooie: "And, most of all, for 10¢ an hour!"

"but that's only on a slow pop up in which everyone is aware of what's going on, not in a quick play like this one."

This was a slow pop up. A quick play is a line drive into the stands. This was a high, slow pop up that gave Alou enough time to get to the wall and leap up. There was plenty of time for Bartman and the others to realize what was happening.

And, once again, Bartman did not reach onto the field. The ball was in the stands, Alou had to reach into them to get the ball. With the ball in the stands, Bartman and the other fans had just as much right to it as Alou did. However, like some posters have said, I would have tried to get out of Alou's way so that he could get the ball. But, the way things went after that, that meant that the score would have been 7-3 instead of 8-3. Or would Mark Prior have been so impressed by Alou's catch that he would have been inspired and struck out the next two batters?



Yippee: "For king!"
Yappee: "For country!"
Yahooie: "And, most of all, for 10¢ an hour!"

Yeah the OP has got to cut the "holier than thou" attitude. He would have done the same thing. Would everyone have done the same thing? Well, did you even watch the documentary? There were upwards of 8 hands reaching for it. And watch very closely as to where the ball drops. It falls out of Bartman's hands and hits the railing. I mean, you want to talk about a BORDERLINE ball then that was it. What other normal reaction is there? You have a foul ball coming near you and the last thing you probably do is see if the left fielder is coming your way. You don't. You are looking upwards because if not you can get a ball in the noggin. It was a catchable ball perhaps, but certainly not a lock.

Like Buckner, Bartman got all of the blame for something that, on further analysis, wasn't even near to being most of his fault. You want proof? Here is where I rank each person on the fault meter:

1986
#1 Bob Stanley - threw a wild pitch when the Sox were WINNING the game. If he throws a fastball down the plate to Mookie Wilson the game is probably over. Instead he throws a ball that Mookie has to jump out of the way for and Gedman (catcher) can't hold onto it. The run from third scores and the Mets tie the game.

#2 Calvin Schiraldi - The relief pitcher who was supposed to close the game out and was one STRIKE away from doing it before he allows three straight singles against the Mets. Stanley comes on in relief.

#3 John McNamara - The Red Sox manager made some terrible moves in that game. He took out a young hard throwing Roger Clemens in favour of Schiraldi. I like my odds with Clemens. He panicked when Schiraldi allowed three singles and he let a wounded Buckner play 1st base when he normally subbed him in for defensive purposes. McNamara did this in all other games that playoff other than this one.

#4 Red Sox as a whole - Were one out away from a World Series and allowed three runs to score. Then lost Game #7 after they had a 3-0 lead all the way into the 6th inning. A great team bails Buckner out.

#5 Buckner - Let the ball go through his legs and instead of the game being in question and going to extra innings it allowed the Mets to win. Keep in mind, Buckner had two hits in Game 7 to make up for this. Also, no one ever says this, but Mookie Wilson was a very fast runner in 1986. I am not 100% sure that even if Buckner gets that ball that he or Stanley beat Mookie to the bag. It was a chopper of a hit directly down the foul line.


2003 Cubs game

#1 Cubs as a team - You are 5 outs away from a World Series appearance, a place you haven't been to in 58 years. A potential out is thwarted and you allow 8 runs instead? And then lose Game 7 at home when you have a lead? Choke job Cubs, choke job. A truly great team bails Bartman out.

#2 Media, fans - Okay you lose Game 6. If there wasn't such a defeated vibe and so much focus on the "play" then maybe they are more focused for Game 7. I mean come on, a billy goat from 1945 is still a curse against you? Get real. Again, the fans in Game 6 helped that collapse happen and were sitting on pins and needles even before Bartman's play.

#3 Mark Prior - had a great year, but could not close out the most important game of his career. Should not have had to rely on a borderline foul ball to win.

#4 Alex Gonzalez - bobbles the ball that some say could have brought a double play. I don't think a double play happens, but there is an out at 2nd base. That leaves first and third with two outs. Still potential for disaster but still closer to getting out of the inning.

#5 Bartman - easily #5 on this list. Like I said, a true team doesn't let this beat them. Last time I checked there were 9 highly paid Cubs players on the field who played like garbage for the entire inning. If anything, Bartman exposed them for just how weak of a team they were. A great team doesn't let a foul ball beat them. They win Game #6, or at least Game #7! Now, does Bartman deserve a portion? I don't think he deserves blame because the ball was on the border of the fence. Hard to finger the guy. The thing is, if he does move his hands and body out of the way the proof is in the pudding that it would have just been replaced from one of the other many hands in the way. So really, is Bartman anymore to blame than the other 6 or 7 fans inches away from catching it? I don't think so by that logic.