Steve Bartman

Dreamreader.net Sport – Advanced Level Steve Bartman

Newspapers called him the most hated man in Chicago. Baseball fans threatened his life and the police needed to protect him. For several weeks in October of 2003, sports radio and television could not stop talking about one man and what he had done. His name was Steve Bartman and some people at the time claimed that he single-handedly ruined the Chicago Cubs playoff run.

In 2003, the Chicago Cubs were playing in the National League Championship series. This was incredibly important for Cubs fans because winning this series would allow their team to advance to the World Series Championships, the biggest contest in Major League Baseball. The Cubs had not won the World Series championship since 1908. However, the Cubs were a formidable team in 2003 and on October 14th of that year, they needed to win only one more game against the Florida Marlins to advance to the World Series. It would be the closest the Cubs had gotten to the World Series Championship in almost 100 years.

With their hopes high and wildly excited at the possibility of going on to the World Series, Cubs fans packed the stadium at Wrigley Field in Chicago. By the eighth inning, the Cubs were in front of the Marlins by a score of 3 to 0. It seemed almost certain that Chicago would win the game. The Marlins’ second baseman, Luis Castillo, went up to bat and hit several foul balls. If any of the Cubs players could catch one of them before it landed, the Cubs would earn the win. One of Castillo’s foul balls finally flew towards Cubs’ player Moises Alou and it seemed like an easy catch for a player of his ability. Just before Alou could grab the ball, however, a fan reached out from the stands and caught it. Alou got angry, threw his baseball glove on the field and shouted at the fans. The game continued and the Cubs lost the game as the Marlins proceeded to score eight runs.

For days after the series ended, incensed Cubs fans phoned into local radio stations and complained about the fan who snatched the ball away from Moises Alou. Someone posted the fan’s personal information on the Internet and some people even threatened his life. Six police cars were sent to his home to protect him and his family. The fan, who was identified as Steve Bartman, later wrote to the media that he was very sorry for the incident and that he was so focused on catching the ball that he did not see Alou’s attempt to do the same. Although reporters made repeated interview requests, Bartman refused all of them.

Some time has passed since “the Bartman incident”. Steve Bartman has returned to his normal life and most people outside of Chicago have forgotten about him. The foul ball which Bartman caught was sold at an auction and it was destroyed in an explosion by a special effects expert. The remains of the ball were boiled and the steam was added to a pasta sauce. Bartman’s seat at Wrigley Field has become a tourist attraction and fans often take photos of it. Moises Alou has said he forgives Bartman and has moved on.

1. According to the article, why did the police have to protect Steve Bartman? a) he was hated by the Chicago police b) his life was under threat from some baseball fans c) some dangerous criminals were threatening his life d) some baseball players were threatening his life

2. The word “claimed” in paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to: a) alleged b) changed c) rejected d) inquired

3. It can be inferred from paragraph 1 that the Chicago Cubs are a) a soccer team b) a baseball team c) a group of animal fans d) a set of baseball fans

4. The word “contest” in paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to: a) tournament b) agreement c) acknowledgement d) disagreement

5. It can be inferred from paragraph 2 that a) the Chicago Cubs had not won a game for about a decade b) the Chicago Cubs had not beaten the Florida Marlins since 1908 c) the Chicago Cubs had not won the World Series for about a decade d) the Chicago Cubs had not won the World Series for about a century

6. The word “wildly” in paragraph 3 could be replaced by: a) violently b) peacefully c) destructively d) enthusiastically

7. The phrase “in front of” in paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to: a) losing b) giving up c) beating d) tied with

This text is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. You may copy, share or adapt this material so long as it is not used for commercial purposes. Dreamreader.net Sport – Advanced Level 8. The word “them” in paragraph 3 refers to: a) foul balls b) second basemen c) the Cubs players d) many years

9. According to the article, what did Steve Bartman do days after the incident at the Cubs game? a) he tried to earn fame b) he gave several interviews c) he took photos with fans d) he apologized for his actions

10. The word “incensed” in paragraph 4 is closest in meaning to: a) sympathetic b) hopeful c) excited d) enraged

11. What is the main theme of paragraph 5? a) tourist attractions at Wrigley Field b) how to make baseball-flavored pasta c) the long-term aftermath of the Steve Bartman incident d) Moises Alou’s career after the Bartman incident

12. What would be a good title for this passage? a) A Biography of Steve Bartman b) The Recent History of the Chicago Cubs in the National League Championships c) The Bartman Incident and the Passion of Sports d) Moises Alou Helps Chicago Cubs Win 2003 World Series

13. Which of the following statements can you infer from the passage? a) Chicago Cubs fans were very emotional after their team lost the chance to go to the World Series and some of them overreacted to Steve Bartman’s mistake b) Steve Bartman wanted to be famous so he intentionally caught the foul ball in the sixth game of the 2003 World Series c) The Chicago Cubs will probably not win the World Series for a very long time d) Professional sports fans throughout America are scared to attend games because they don’t want to make a mistake like Steve Bartman

14. What could you predict as the topic of the next paragraph in the passage? a) profiles and biographies of famous Chicago Cubs players throughout baseball history b) a comparison between the Chicago Cubs and Florida Marlins in 2003 and today c) More information about American baseball rules and the World Series Championship d) a discussion of how sports can be very emotional and can sometimes make people do things they wouldn’t normally do

) (d 14. (a) 13. (c) 12. (c) . 11 ) (d 10. (d) 9. a) ( 8. (c) 7. ) (d 6. ) d ( 5. (a) 4. ) b ( 3. ) a ( . 2 ) (b 1. Answers:

This text is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. You may copy, share or adapt this material so long as it is not used for commercial purposes.