September 27, 201114 yr This ESPN 30 on 30 airs tonight and should be one of the best they have produced. Filmmaker Alex Gibney looks deep into the "other" parts of this story. Catching Hell seeks fundamentally to untangle this insanity. How can people believe in curses? How can they blame a fan for the team giving up eight runs? How can they not understand that dealing with setbacks that may be out of your control without utterly collapsing is a legitimate and fair part of athletics, and if you can't handle it, that's on you? I got my popcorn ready for this 2 hour film. Anybody else watching?
September 27, 201114 yr I have the DVR set, so I can watch anything I miss. I also think this will be a very good one, but most of these 30 for 30 are...
September 27, 201114 yr I would like to watch but won't be able to. I believe the most grateful person in this ordeal is Alex Gonzalez. He booted a double play grounder that would have ended the inning. Yet no one says a word about that error. Gonzalez should say a prayer every night for Steve Bartman.
September 28, 201114 yr I have the DVR set, so I can watch anything I miss. I also think this will be a very good one, but most of these 30 for 30 are... I have 30 for 30 set up to record anytime it's on. Can't wait to watch this one.
September 28, 201114 yr Still hurts after all these years... Yes it does. As A Cubs fan I have always felt that if Alou didn't act the way he did it would have probably been a different outcome and one that actually went in the Cubs favor. Alou's reaction is what got the entire team/stadium upset IMO. If he would have just turned around and trotted back to LF I don't think the epic meltdown would have happened next. But thats sports, something you will never know.
September 28, 201114 yr Author Great film. Love the comparisons drawn to the Buckner ball. Was Buckner prophetic with what he said 12 days before the World Series? That was weird.
September 28, 201114 yr It was pretty good, but far from one of the best in the 30/30 series. Unlike Roman Empire, I didn't care for the amount of attention given to Buckner. I can definitely see why you would allude to him, but about 20-30 minutes were devoted totally to him. The most interesting aspect for me was when the senior ESPN writer tracks him down at his office's parking garage. That was a combination of creepy & fascinating.
September 28, 201114 yr Watching it now on my DVR...hating life for Bill Buckner right now. I remember that World Series vividly.
September 28, 201114 yr Great film. Love the comparisons drawn to the Buckner ball. Was Buckner prophetic with what he said 12 days before the World Series? That was weird. I ended up catching a big chunk of it after all. I thought the Buckner angle was an interesting angle. As I said in an earlier post, this story should really have been titled "Catching Hell" - The Alex Gonzalez Story. We should have been watching how Gonzalez dealt with the scorn of Cubs nation. He was the pro getting paid to make plays who just completely dropped a ball that was as easy to play as the one Buckner missed. I think the producers/director of that story put the Buckner part in to show Bartman that perhaps it would bring some closure if he opened up and faced things as Buckner did. I wonder, have the Cubs ever tried to reach out to Bartman? How would the fans receive him if the Cubs tried to make things right for him?
September 28, 201114 yr Author I ended up catching a big chunk of it after all. I thought the Buckner angle was an interesting angle. As I said in an earlier post, this story should really have been titled "Catching Hell" - The Alex Gonzalez Story. We should have been watching how Gonzalez dealt with the scorn of Cubs nation. He was the pro getting paid to make plays who just completely dropped a ball that was as easy to play as the one Buckner missed. I think the producers/director of that story put the Buckner part in to show Bartman that perhaps it would bring some closure if he opened up and faced things as Buckner did. I wonder, have the Cubs ever tried to reach out to Bartman? How would the fans receive him if the Cubs tried to make things right for him? Agreed. No one talks about the Stanley wild pitch that allowed the tying run to score in the Red Sox game or the Gonzalez error, I think the female minister in the film made a great point about people needing scapegoats in life. What about Buckner wearing a Cubs batting glove when he misplayed that ball.............that was crazy. The curse of the Billy Goat lives.
September 28, 201114 yr I thought that was one of the better ones if not the best. I still feel sorry for the guy as everyone around him was doing the EXACT SAME THING. I personally thought they should have focused more on the Marlins players and their victory over the Yankees in the WS.
September 28, 201114 yr Great 30 for 30. You can't help but feel bad for the guy. If he still lives in Chicago then I am impressed. For him to go through the whole stadium and fans outside of the stadium chanting at him during the game is unbelievable. I'd have gotten my tail kicked by the whole stadium. It's tragic that the Red Sox had to win a World Series before they thought to forgive and honor him. Winning cures everything.
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.