S teve Ba rtm an

AP Images
Directed by Alex Gibney
Steve Bartman
A
With five outs remaining in
Game 6
of the 2003 NLCS, a foul ball descended from the cold
Chicago sky, destined for the glove of left fielder Moises Alou. But it was not meant to be, as
one inconspicuous hand reached down from the left field stands at Wrigley Field and
seized the potential out. That hand belonged to Cubs fan Steve Bartman, and many
believed that he snatched away Chicago’s chance of advancing to the World Series. Even though Bartman was one of many who reached for the ball, and even though Cubs shortstop Alex Gonzalez let
a sure inning-ending double-play ball go through his legs later in the same inning, and combined with the
fact that the Game 6 victory by the Marlins only tied the series at 3-3, Bartman still became the most
hated man in Chicago. Bartman attempted a public appeal, but his fate was already sealed by the
Cub fans’ need for a scapegoat to explain a near-century of losing. Although Cubs Nation has since
moved on to other seasons and other losses, Bartman remains ostracized from a community he
lives in and a team he once loved. Oscar-winning documentarian Alex Gibney will explore this relationship and try to answer the question, Can Steve Bartman ever forgive Chicago?
lex Gibney is the writer, director
and producer of the 2008
Oscar-winning film, “Taxi to the
Dark Side”. He is also the writer, producer
and director of the 2006 Oscar-nominated film, “Enron: The Smartest Guys in
the Room”, which also received the
Independent Spirit Award and the WGA
Award. He has recently released “Gonzo”,
narrated by Johnny Depp about the
writer Hunter S. Thompson. “Gonzo”
premiered at the 2008 Sundance film
Festival and was released on July 4,
2008. Gibney is also in post-production
on “Casino Jack”, a feature documentary
on political corruption; and “My Trip to
Al Qaeda”, a drama written by Lawrence
Wright, author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning book, The Looming Tower.
Gibney also served as executive
producer for “No End in Sight,” which
won the Special Jury Prize at the 2007
Sundance Film Festival and was also
nominated for an Oscar; a producer for
“Herbie Hancock: Possibilities,” a film
about the jazz legend’s collaboration
with musical talents such as Santana,
Sting and Christina Aguilera; and
consulting producer on “Who Killed the
Electric Car.”
In 2004, Gibney produced the classic
concert film “Lightning in a Bottle”,
starring Buddy Guy, Macy Gray, Bonnie
Raitt, Chuck D, Mos Def, Dr. John,
Angelique Kidjo, Solomon Burke and
many others.
In 2003, Gibney served as the Series
Producer for “The Blues”, an Emmynominated series of seven films in
association with executive producer
Martin Scorsese. Gibney also produced
“The Soul of a Man,” the film by Wim
Wenders for that series, and was
awarded a Grammy for producing the
5-CD box set based on the series.
His recent credits include the
theatrical documentary for the BBC and
First Run Features The “Trials of Henry
Kissinger,” “Jimi Hendrix and the Blues,”
the HBO documentary “Soldiers in the
Army of God,” “Speak Truth to Power”
(Producer), a PBS special about human
rights defenders starring Alec Baldwin,
Sigourney Weaver, John Malkovich and
Kevin Kline and “Brooklyn Babylon.”
Personal Statement
I am thrilled to participate in ESPN’s 30-for-30 series. A longtime sports fanatic and
hopeless tennis flailer, I have always wanted to do films on sports that capture the
thrill of the contest and the human drama of the players. I zeroed in on the story of
Steve Bartman because I am interested in the collective mania of a city and the need
to find a scapegoat for disappointment. As a lifelong Red Sox fan who has been recently released from the Curse of the Bambino, I can show the best and the worst of
Cub mania through the lens of one who has been there.
Also, having done Taxi to the Dark Side and the upcoming Casino Jack, about
Jack Abramoff, I am also very interested in the need for scapegoats. I want to hear
from the goats and the scapes. Seeing the tears of Bill Buckner at Fenway as he was
released from his torment, makes me curious to know what might happen this year to
Bartman if the Cubs manage to win. Will they forgive him? Will he forgive them?
I don’t want to get too pointy-headed about all of this, however. One of the reasons I’m doing 30 for 30 is for the fun of it and because, even in my story, there is a
lot to say about the game of baseball and how it plays out in mysterious ways that
encourage and defy expectation. Was Buckner’s boot the real story, or just the nail in
the coffin of the Sox untimely demise. Do players really “choke” once they feel things
start to unravel, or is it just that, in the words of Don Rumsfeld, “stuff happens?”
It’s also good to be back working with ESPN. I did a number of interviews for
“SportsCentury,” with stars including Ted Williams, Magic Johnson, Bobby Orr, Martina Navratilova, and Pete Sampras. I was the one who was interviewing Rod Laver when he had his life-threatening stroke. After we rushed him to the hospital,
I watched as the doctor—who luckily happened to be a rabid tennis fan—asked
Laver his occupation to test his mental acuity. “The Rocket” couldn’t speak very well.
“Tennis purayer,” gurgled the man who had won 11 Grand Slam tournaments. Then
he tugged on the doctor’s white coat. “I used to be a fairly good tennis player.”
Yes, he was.
Back in the saddle.
Alex Gibney
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