2011 television documentaryRating: 16/20
Plot: A story of scapegoats. A few years ago, the Chicago Cubs looked like they might be ready to finally break that Curse of the Billy Goat. Mark Pryor was pitching well, they had a semi-comfortable lead heading into the 8th inning, and were just a few outs from tasting their first World Series action since the end of World War II. But hold on! A nerdy Cubs fan, a fit thrown by Moises Alou (a guy who pissed on his hands instead of wearing batting gloves--look it up), and a botched double play ball dooms the lovable losers once again and makes one poor sap the most hated man on the North Side.
First off: Mark Pryor. Steroid casualty?
Secondly, Bill Buckner sure cries a lot.
Thirdly, this is all God's fault anyway. If he would have made Moises Alou over fifteen feet tall, none of this would have happened.
Steve Bartman is an intriguing figure. How he's managed to keep away from cameras is beyond me. The people behind this documentary treat the footage of Bartman grabbing for that baseball like it's the Zapruder film. They break everything down like it's crime footage, and you get to see the after-effects from multiple fan-recorded angles which is cool. I remember watching this game and feeling bad for Bartman then. I'm a smart enough baseball fan to ignore the fact that Bartman's hand touched the ball and see that almost anybody else in that seat would have done the same thing. Well, not me. I'm a smart baseball fan. I was also laughing hysterically because I don't like the Cubs or their fans and think it's hilarious when bad things happen to them. You know, like Alfonso Soriano or Carlos Zambrano. I didn't figure that this poor guy was going to survive the night though. And there was just something about the way he just sat there with those stupid headphones and ignored the world while Fox cameras kept showing him over and over again that makes him an almost iconic figure. Seriously, he should get a statue. The descriptions and reenactments of Bartman's "escape" from the ironically nicknamed Friendly Confines was gripping, and the sociologically insight (the mindset of obsessive sports fans, the behaviors of drunk Cubs fans) is enlightening. As an investigation of the idea of scapegoats in sports (not surprisingly with two of the worst fanbases in MLB) with connections to Weepin' Bill Buckner, this was revealing. As a narrative documentary, it's completely gripping, so much that when it came on again immediately after the time I watched it, I went ahead and watched it again. One more thing: I kept expecting to see (the first time--not the second since I'd already seen it) an interview with Bartman himself, like it was building up to this big moment where he gets to explain himself. This is for sure more fascinating without it though.
Excellent review (loved the Zapruder line). I was also very touched by the doc and Bartman's plight. The film highlights the idea of scapegoating (now I know where that term came from), but can be easily expanded to how unfair people can be, expecially when acting as a group (or mob). When Bartman sits there with his headphones on (probably listening to radio announcers criticize him) as an entire stadium and city turn against him, he becomes a very tragic figure. Several of the interviewed people were either tearful or visibly saddened by their part in what happened, and I was emotionally moved by this unfortunate man (as well as Buckner when he comes back to Fenway). It really could have been anyone. I liked the style of the film (the scene where they isolate the action was very cool), and am happy this doc was made. I hope it brings some peace to Steve Bartman. This is a must for any baseball fan. Catch it on ESPN before it goes away. A 17.
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