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As the Chicago Cubs’ Moises Alou made a leaping attempt at a pop foul during the National League Championship Series, Steve Bartman (in Cubs cap and dark sweater) was among the fans reaching for the ball. While one image suggests he acted alone, the second photo tells another story.

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As the Chicago Cubs’ Moises Alou made a leaping attempt at a pop foul during the National League Championship Series, Steve Bartman (in Cubs cap and dark sweater) was among the fans reaching for the ball. While one image suggests he acted alone, the second photo tells another story.

We fans of the Chicago Cubs rarely hear good news in October, so there’s a little buzz of excitement around Wrigley Field these days about the possibility of Boston Red Sox GM Theo Epstein reportedly coming to Chicago to take over a similar or expanded role with the hapless Cubs.

In 2004, Epstein helped guide the Red Sox to their first World Series title in 86 years and to another title in 2007. In Chicago, he’d be trying to end a Cubs’ championship drought dating back to 1908; the Cubs haven’t even been to the World Series since 1945.

The last time the Cubs came close was eight years ago, and a new ESPN documentary revisits that painful event in Cubs history and the anger directed at one fan in particular, Steve Bartman, who interfered with a foul ball and unwittingly became the latest scapegoat for a century of baseball futility.

There’s a part of me that didn’t even want to see the documentary and report on fans’ reactions to it. No Cubs fan wants to relive the night of Oct. 14, 2003. It still hurts. But here goes:

The Cubs were five outs away from advancing to the World Series for the first time in 58 years; the Marlins had a runner on second with one out, when Luis Castillo hit a fly ball in foul territory down the left field line. The Cubs’ Moises Alou ran over to the stands and reached up with his glove — just as a bunch of fans reached up, too. And one of them, Bartman, 26, deflected the ball, preventing Alou from catching the second out of the inning.

The crowd’s cheers turned to boos. Alou went ballistic. And FOX Sports showed replays over and over. Fans turned on Bartman, booing, chanting obscenities and throwing beer at him.

Back on the field, the Cubs came unglued: They gave up a walk, a wild pitch, a hit and then sure-handed shortstop Alex Gonzalez fumbled an easy ground ball that could’ve been an inning-ending double play. The roof caved in as the Marlins went on to score eight runs. The Cubs lost the game, as well as Game 7 the next night, and the Marlins ultimately won the World Series

“I was pretty PO’d,” says fan David Beaudion, 32. With a laugh, he adds, “I threw the remote and turned the TV off.”

At O’Donavan’s, a Chicago bar about a mile and a half west of Wrigley Field, Beaudion remembers the play rattling the players.

“It threw everybody off of their game, and nobody was prepared for that,” he says. “You know, I mean, you saw Alou’s reaction to the whole play; he was furious.”

The new documentary, Catching Hell, by Oscar-winning filmmaker Alex Gibney, shows how Alou’s fit on the field sparked a nasty reaction by fans, who turned on Bartman.

Wearing headphones over a Cubs cap, glasses and a green turtleneck, Bartman stood out in the crowd. For his safety, security escorted him from the stadium.

The next day, The Chicago Sun-Times published his name, the suburb he lived in and where he worked. TV crews camped outside of his house. Reporters hunted down his friends, neighbors — even the Little League team he coached.

Bartman and his family got death threats. He’s gone pretty much underground ever since.

Cubs fan Mary Beaudion says she hasn’t seen the documentary yet, but she does look back now on the fans’ reaction with a little remorse.

“You know, this poor guy. I mean it was so much hatred toward him and so many mean things that were said, it was like … He could have been suicidal. I know I would have [been]; all of Chicago now hated you and it was your fault. They blamed him,” she says. “I kinda did.”

Her husband, David Beaudion, adds, “He can be forgiven.”

But Catching Hell doesn’t ask Cubs fans if they can forgive Bartman. Rather, it asks if Bartman can ever forgive Chicago fans.

“I think they reacted poorly; I really do,” says lifelong Cubs fan Patricia Reardon, who grew up in the shadows of Wrigley Field. Now in her 70s, Reardon seems embarrassed by the scorn her fellow fans directed at one of their own.

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Ted Zegarski and other dejected Cubs fans hang out in front of Wrigley Field as the Chicago Cubs were beaten by the Florida Marlins in Game 7 of the National League Championship Series on Oct. 15, 2003.

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Ted Zegarski and other dejected Cubs fans hang out in front of Wrigley Field as the Chicago Cubs were beaten by the Florida Marlins in Game 7 of the National League Championship Series on Oct. 15, 2003.

“Poor guy,” she says. “I feel sorry for Bartman, and it was a very sad situation — for Chicago and Bartman.”

Reardon’s daughter, 50-year-old Julianne Reardon, agrees. And she blames the media for fueling the fire.

“They played that scene, that one play, over and over and over again. And then they gave his name out and then they told what he did,” she says. “They just gave; they divulged so much information about him.”

In Catching Hell, Gibney compares Chicago’s scapegoating of Bartman to that of Boston Red Sox first baseman Bill Buckner, whose error in the 1986 World Series led to his team’s collapse, and Red Sox fans to run him out of town.

Buckner was exonerated when the Red Sox won World Series titles in 2004 and ’07. Now, he’s cheered by most Boston fans.

Could the same thing happen with Bartman, now that Epstein appears headed to Chicago?

“They have to reconstruct the team. They had a horrible year this year. But we still keep going back for more,” laughs Julianne Reardon.

Cubs fans — even Steve Bartman, I hope — are nothing, if not eternally optimistic.

SAN DIEGO, Sept. 28 (UPI) — Nick Hundley and Will Venable homered and combined to drive in seven runs Wednesday, sending the San Diego Padres to a 9-2 victory over the Chicago Cubs.

The Padres and Cubs ended the season tied for the second-worst record in the National League (71-91) — ahead of only the Houston Astros and their 106 losses.

Hundley hit a three-run homer to highlight a four-run third and Venable blasted a grand slam in the sixth.

That made things easy for Wade LeBlanc (5-6), who gave up two runs on five hits in seven innings to get the victory.

Ryan Dempster (10-14) suffered the loss, surrendering all nine runs on eight hits in 5 2/3 innings.

The St. Louis Cardinals’ improbable run toward the National League Wildcard took another big step backward Friday night as the Chicago Cubs scored four runs in the final two innings to win 5-1 at Busch Stadium.

The Cards’ loss, coupled with Atlanta’s 7-4 win over Washington, pushed the Cardinals three games behind Atlanta in the wildcard race with five to play.  It also means Milwaukee, with its 4-1 win over Florida, has clinched its first National League Central Division crown and its first division championship since 1982 (when the Brewers played in the American League).

The Redbirds jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the 2nd when starting pitcher Chris Carpenter laid down a bunt on a suicide squeeze play, scoring Skip Schumaker from third. It was the first time St. Louis squeezed home a runner at Busch Stadium since the final weekend of the 2010 season.

The Cubs tied the game 1-1 in the top of the 6th on Carlos Pena’s RBI double. It was the only run Carpenter gave up. The Cards’ starter also allowed five hits in seven innings, striking out five while allowing two walks.

In the 8th, Chicago’s Darwin Barney started the inning with a triple off reliever Kyle McClellan (12-7). After Bryan LaHair grounded out to Albert Pujols, Carlos Pena was walked intentionally, setting the stage for the shot that silenced the crowd of just over 40,000. Alfonso Soriano belted a three run homer over the left field wall, giving his team a 4-1 lead.

The Cubs added another run in the 9th off reliever Mitchell Boggs. Starlin Castro singled in Tony Campana, making the score 5-1.

Jeff Samardzija (8-4) pitched one scoreless inning in relief of Cubs’ starter Ryan Dempster to earn the win.

The Cardinals continue their final home series of 2011 Saturday afternoon, with first pitch at 12:10 against the Cubs. Kyle Lohse (14-8) will pitch for St. Louis against Chicago’s Rodrigo Lopez (6-6).

Game Notes:

The Cardinals grounded into three double plays Friday night, giving them 165 for the year. The next twin killing the Cards hit into will tie the National League record of 166, set by the 1958 Cardinals.

Friday’s announced attendance of 40,335 put the Cardinals over three million fans for the eighth consecutive season and the 15th time in club history.

CHICAGO, Sept. 19 (UPI) — Geovany Soto socked a pair of two-run homers and drove in all five Cubs runs Monday in Chicago’s 5-2 victory over Milwaukee.

Soto’s second-inning blast erased a 1-0 deficit and his run-producing single in the third made it 3-1 Chicago. The catcher’s second two-run shot in the sixth completed the scoring for the Cubs, who took the opener of a three-game series.

Casey Coleman (3-8) earned the victory, yielding one run over six innings while striking out eight and walking three.

Milwaukee starter Chris Narveson (10-8) was tagged with the loss after surrendering three runs (two earned) on four hits in a four-inning effort.

The Brewers’ magic number to clinch the National League Central remained at four as they saw their six-game winning streak against the Cubs snapped.

CINCINNATI, Sept. 12 (UPI) — Starlin Castro went 3-for-4 with a two-run homer and scored four times Monday, helping power the Chicago Cubs past Cincinnati 12-8.

Castro also stroked an RBI double while raising his National League-leading hits total to 190 as the Cubs took the opener of a four-game set.

Aramis Ramirez added three hits and two RBI, including a solo homer, and Alfonso Soriano knocked in three with a single and double as the Cubs banged out 16 hits.

Rodrigo Lopez (5-6) earned the win despite coughing up nine hits — including four home runs — through 5 1/3 innings.

Brandon Phillips went deep twice while Devin Mesoraco and Juan Francisco also homered for Cincinnati.

Reds starter Dontrelle Willis (0-6) lasted only 3 1/3 innings, getting pounded for eight runs on nine hits.

SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 30 (UPI) — Randy Wells tossed a two-hit, complete-game shutout Monday and the Chicago Cubs dealt San Francisco a key loss with a 7-0 victory.

Wells (6-4) allowed only an Andres Torres double in the third inning and an Aubrey Huff single in the fourth, while issuing a single walk and striking out seven for the Cubs.

It was the right-hander’s first career shutout and complete game over 77 career starts.

Blake DeWitt clubbed a three-run homer while Carlos Pena, Alfonso Soriano and Geovany Soto each added solo shots as Chicago took the opener of a three-game series.

San Francisco’s Tim Lincecum (12-11) was tagged for five runs (four earned) on six hits over six innings for the Giants, whose playoff hopes took a hit as they fell five games behind first-place Arizona in the National League West.