'Truly sorry' fan works to deflect critics

CHICAGO -- A Chicago Cubs fan who deflected a foul ball that seemed destined for Moises Alou's glove issued a statement Wednesday saying he is "truly sorry from the bottom of this Cubs fan's broken heart."

"I had my eyes glued on the approaching ball the entire time and was so caught up in the moment that I did not even see Moises Alou much less that he may have had a play," read the statement issued by Steve Bartman, 26.

"Had I thought for one second that the ball was playable or had I seen Alou approaching I would have done whatever I could to get out of the way and give Alou a chance to make the catch."

Bartman deflected the ball just as Alou appeared to be about to catch it for a second out in the eighth inning of Tuesday night's game with the Cubs leading 3-0. The Florida Marlins ultimately scored eight runs that inning, sending the NL championship series to a final seventh game Wednesday night.

Bartman was escorted by security guards from Wrigley Field Tuesday night after he was threatened by angry fans and pelted with debris.

A police guard was posted Wednesday outside the Northbrook home where he lives with his parents, and his brother-in-law -- who read the statement to the media for him -- said that Bartman is "hiding somewhere. He just wants to move on and he wants the Cubs to win."

In his statement, Bartman -- who coaches youth baseball -- apologized to Cubs fans and ex-players including Ron Santo and Ernie Banks.

"I ask that Cub fans everywhere redirect the negative energy that has been vented towards my family, my friends, and myself into the usual positive support for our beloved team on their way to being national league champs," Bartman said.

Bartman's action was the talk of Chicago -- and the nation -- Wednesday.

Angry broadcasters castigated Bartman. A local newspaper found in a Web poll that while thousands of people pinned the team's playoff loss on the Cubs, thousands also blamed Bartman.

The governor of Florida offered him asylum there, while Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich chided overzealous fans.

"Nobody can justify any kind of threat to someone who does something stupid like reach for that ball," said Blagojevich, a Cubs fan.

Still, a childhood friend of Bartman, Gary Cohen, said that even after he realized who had deflected the ball, he still wanted to beat him up.

Selfish fans

And Don Emond, a longtime season ticket holder, said Bartman should have known better.

"If you are a fan who's been around for a while, you just know not to interfere with a player," Emond said. "I think these fans like that are sort of selfish or they don't really care about the consequences of what happened."

In brief comments to reporters before going inside his home, Bartman's father defended his son.

"I taught him well," Ted Bartman said. "I taught him to catch foul balls when he comes near them."

Don Kessinger went after countless pop flies near the stands while he played shortstop for the Cubs in the 1960s and '70s. He also defended Bartman.

"I think he did what 40,000 people would have done," said Kessinger, referring to the crowd at the game.

"My experience has been when you go into the stands, they are going to try to catch the ball," said Kessinger, who now is in the real estate business in Oxford, Miss. "I'm going to try to catch it and they are going to try to catch it."

Even Alou, who was initially furious about the incident, seemed to soften later.

"At the time, I was real upset," he said Tuesday night. "But at same time, I kind of feel bad for the guy now, because every fan in every ballpark, their first reaction is they want a souvenir. Nobody's going to think about the outcome of the game."

In fact, Bartman acted like others in the area. While some did pull back when they saw Alou racing their way, others kept reaching for the ball.

It was just Bartman's bad luck that his actions hurt the chances of the home team, in contrast with the 12-year-old boy who reached over the wall to grab a ball to prevent a Baltimore player from catching what was ruled a home run by a New York Yankee in the 1996 AL championship series.

"I've never felt more sorry for anybody in my life than I did that fan," said Kessinger. "I really worry if the Cubs don't win tonight about that guy's ability to live in Chicago."