Cubs' fan may need to hibernate

After watching replay after replay of Tuesday night's now infamous play, it was pretty clear that Chicago Cubs outfielder, Moises Alou, would have made that catch.

The inning may have ended soon after that, and the Cubs would have been just three outs away from their long awaited trip to the World Series.

Then came -- "the fan."

Now, you know you are a true fan when you are at the game and listening to the broadcast at the same time, as that fan was doing. I have to admit that even my craziness with sports has never gone to that level.

So maybe the headphones interfered with his thought process. Maybe he didn't see Alou standing right under him as he thought about catching a foul ball at a Major League Baseball game, something we all hope for from the time we start walking.

Either way, the poor guy is in trouble.

Alou screamed at him. Other fans started yelling at him. Then came the ceremonial beer toss that was aimed for our fan. Cubs manager Dusty Baker said in the post game press conference that the man "Must have been a Marlins fan."

In the end, a security escort was needed for the fan to leave the stadium in one piece. His face is all over the television and in the other news media as the reason the Cubbies may not go to the World Series.

Can you imagine what it was like for this guy to go to work on Wednesday? Can you imagine what his life will be like if the Cubs lose Game 7?

I have to admit that my initial reaction was similar to that of many others' reactions. This guy in the stands had cost the Cubs the game!

After thinking it through, however, I now realize that is ridiculous. Many things came back to bite the Cubbies, but the fan was pretty far down the list.

First, Cubs shortstop Alex Gonzalez booted a play that he should have made with his eyes closed. Tuesday just happened to be the 11-year anniversary of Francisco Cabrera's hit that miraculously sent the Braves to the World Series and sent the Pirates into a tailspin that they still haven't recovered from. Many people forget that Pirates second baseman Jose Lind booted a similar ball a couple batters earlier that would have just about sent the Braves home.

Also, Cubs reliever Kyle Farnsworth gave up a three-run double off the ivy. Just before exiting the game, Mark Prior gave up a double to Derek Lee. Intentional walks, wild pitches, we had it all in the eighth inning, not just "the fan."

Television replays have shown that there were at least four people with their hands up going for the ball. The now infamous fan just happened to be the one to get his hands on it. If this guy is so "dumb" or such a "bad fan," why were four other people sitting around him also trying to make the play?

Simple. It is because that is the natural instinct when you are at a baseball game. You try to make the catch.

The media quickly started talking about "the curse of the Cubs." Will this be another in a long line of heartbreaking playoff losses for the Cubs?

If the players buy into "the curse," it will be bye-bye Cubbies.

Here's hoping that the Cubs rebound for the sake of our fan. If not, I hope he knows a good real estate agent.