I grew up as A cub fan since the time I can remember, I was 5 years old when the cubs were 8 outs away from the world series when that ball went through the legs of first basemen Leon Durham enabling the padres to win the game and then went on to win the series.. That was my first taste of disappointment from the cubs. Then in 1989, 5 years later i was 10 when i got my next taste of cubs disappointment when Will Clark hit that grand slam onto Sheffield Ave. Then in 1998 when the cubs won that one game playoff against San Francisco only to get swept by the Braves in the First round. But that season was the season that saved baseball and brought the fans back from that strike in world series wipe out in 93. It was one of the greatest seasons i had ever seen to date in my life. Then of course 2003 we were 5 outs away from the world series when Mark Prior was trying to close down a marlins rally and preserve his 3-hit shutout, when Juan Pierre stood on second base when Luis Castillo lifted a foul ball towards the left-field line, Cubs outfielder Moises Alou drifted towards the brick wall beyond the bullpen. As the ball floated towards the seats, longtime Cubs fan Steve Bartman and others reached to catch the ball, as virtually any fan would have done. Bartman, seemingly unaware of Alou's presence, got his hands on the ball first, and Alou was unable to make the catch. Alou slammed his glove against the the wall in frustration. The Cubs argued for an interference call, but to no avail. Given the cubs history, which almost instantly returned to its familiar rhythm of futility, the team collapsed, and the marlins roared back to win the game, 8-3. The following night, the marlins won again and advanced to the world series instead of our cubbies. The invisible hand of hoodoo had been extended once again. Although lots of people blamed Bartman for the Cubs loss, I steadfastly refused to fault a poor fan who was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Once Grant Deporter A long time Cubs fan And sports reporter purchased the ball at an auction mainly to keep it out of any anti-cubs fans for 96,000 dollars he quickly said that for now on we're going to call it the infamous cubs foul ball-not the Bartman Ball, That bartman didn't even end up with the ball said as much for the renaming of the ball. Besides more than ninety years of unrest had preceded the infamous foul ball drifting eerily into that October 14th night. The thing was that ball was put out there for any anti-cubs fan to buy, Grant Deporter who was also long time friends with Harry Carey couldn't let that happen. His mission from the outset besides letting that ball go to any anti-cubs fan, he also wanted to clear Steve Bartman's name, any fan would have done the same thing, at least any true Cubs fan would.

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