Will destroying the Bartman ball demolish the curse?
While others painstakingly dissect and scrutinize every little bit of minutia and nuance of our political climate, matters of great importance to the free world are slipping by under our radar.
One of these matters that has come to my attention has to do with the sorrowful anguish of cubbies fans everywhere.For too many years have these fans been disenfranchised and scoffed at, yet never giving up the struggle to rise up and assert their rights and equality.
And last year they were oh so close to being granted those rights as equals amongst their peers :
And then, errant fan Steve Bartman, in an ill-advised reach from his seat, knocked the now-infamous ball out of the reach of left-fielder Moises Alou. The Cubs immediately give up eight runs, and don't go to the World Series.
Needless to say their was widespread wailing and gnashing of teeth amongst the faithful.The gods had swooped down and snatched victory from their hands once again.
Something needed to be done. Desperate times call for drastic steps.
Tonight, to exorcise whatever demon it contains, the ball will be destroyed.
The Harry Caray's Restaurant Group, who purchased the Bartman ball at a December auction for $113,824, is going to creatively demolish the ball at approximately 8:30 p.m. ET. It will be broadcast on MSNBC, as we have been shamelessly hyping all week.
An 'evil' method will be used to demolish this infamous relic. The owners turned to a Hollywood special effects expert named Michael Lantieri to figure out an unforgettable way to pulverize the ball. Lantieri is an Academy Award special effects winner and six-time nominee, as well as a Cubs fan. He was experimenting with different ball destruction ideas in his lab in Los Angeles, and his services ultimately helped decide the best way to demolish this curse.
How can one capture the breathless anticipation of the entire city of Chicago as they await the destruction of their most recent symbol of defeat?
So let us count our blessings and never forget that there are others in the world who suffer in quiet.
Best wishes to all Cubs fans