Bartman Remembered

After watching "Raising Hell" on ESPN tonight, I felt a feeling about sports that I rarely feel, I felt betrayed.  We all remember what happened to Steve Bartman and his infamous interference with Moises Alou in Game 6 of the 2003 NLCS.  After the play ensued, the Marlins scored 8 runs in that fateful inning and ended up beating he Cubs 8-3 in Game 6.  Now, the reason I felt betrayed was because sports gives me a lot of joy in life.  They are a microcosm of America itself and reflect true competition.  Nothing brings friends, family, and teams together the way sports do.  Sports can make you happy, cry, and scream all in one play.  But, in this instance, sports turned a sports situation into a life situation.  After Bartman interfered with that ball, all hell broke lose.  He was ridiculed and threatened to the point where nobody has heard from him sense.  I am embarrassed to be a part of the sports watching community knowing that millions of baseball fans drove this man into living his life feeling threatened and unwanted.  Like I said, sports brings out the best in people, but it also brings out the worst.  Threatening to kill this man over a baseball game? I guess nobody realized Bartman was a Little League baseball coach or that he was a very intelligent, polite young man.  You forget that celebrities (Bartman became one) have a life outside of their persona. There is a fine line between anger and violence and too many sports fan crossed that line the days ensuing Game 6.  8 years later, I hope Bartman found peace in his decision to leave Chicago and begin a new life.  If the Cubs ever win a world series, Bartman should be honored somehow, someway.  But, that may never happen because karma is a bitch and what the city of Chicago did to Steve Bartman antagonizes it....the wrong way.