ASB 2005 CASHES IN ON BARTMAN
I was just reading the developers' diary about All-Star Baseball 2005, which is now out for XBox and is going to be released for PS2 tomorrow. ASB has an awesome franchise mode, complete with salary arbitration, the 40-man roster, minor league options and basically anything else you can think of. I did find this particular feature intriguing...

"One of our favorite challenges (especially for our Cub fans) is the "Leaping Alou" scenario. It's game 6 of the NLCS and Luis Castillo steps to the plate with one out. He hits the infamous foul ball towards the stands in left. This time we give you the chance to make the catch with Alou as the fans will stay out of his way. It's not as easy as it sounds; you'll have to time your leap carefully."

I have a better idea...Why don't they pick the game up from when Alex Gonzalez booted the potential double-play ball? How about they pick it up from just before Kyle Farnsworth came into the game and absolutely got lit-up? Why don't we go back to the start of the inning when Dusty Baker didn't have somebody ready in the bullpen? Even if Bartman didn't make contact with that ball (and assuming the other two or three people that reached for the ball didn't make contact with it either) there was no guarantee that Alou was going to catch that ball anyway.

You know what. I like this feature. Let Cubs fans make the catch and win the game and then go onto the World Series and win it. I hope winning the World Series in All-Star Baseball 2005 will fill the huge void in their lives left by the almost hundred-year stretch without a World Series victory.

Go ahead Cubs fans. Blame your futility on Bartman, a black cat walking in front of the dugout at Shea Stadium, and not letting a goat into the 1945 World Series. Instead of blowing up the Bartman ball, why not blow up Alex Gonzalez's glove or Dusty Baker's wrist bands?