One of the more intriguing storylines to come out of the Cubs' historic 2016 playoff run, which culminated in a World Series victory on Wednesday night, is the reemergence of Steve Bartman's name. No one has seen or heard from Bartman, who has been laying low since making the mistake of reaching for a foul ball during Game 6 of the NLCS more than 13 years ago and playing a small part in the Cubs missing out on the World Series that season. But now that the Cubs have finally broken the curse and won a World Series for the first time in 108 years, people want to hear from Bartman. But the thought of getting an interview with him remains a pipe dream, as he seems to have no interest in being paraded out by the media for a redemption tour.
That won't change on Friday.
The Cubs will hold their championship parade in the city of Chicago. But according to Frank Murtha, a lawyer who has acted as Bartman's spokesman for more than a decade now, Bartman will not be attending it. Murtha says Bartman still lives and works in the Chicago area—and somehow retains his anonymity while doing so—and is "overjoyed" about the Cubs' World Series win. But that doesn't mean he wants to make a spectacle of himself by showing up at the parade. "We don't intend to crash the parade," Murtha told USA Today. "The one thing that Steve and I did talk about was if the Cubs were to win, he did not want to be a distraction to the accomplishments of the players and the organization."
Sounds like Bartman is continuing to stay true to his brand. And now that the Cubs got themselves their first championship in 108 years, here's to hoping this is the last time he ever gets brought up.
