Friends, neighbours defend Cubs fan

The Chicago Cubs fan who whipped the Windy City into a frenzy Tuesday has been identified by the Chicago Sun Times newspaper.

Steve Bartman, 26, reached out to grab a foul ball that Cubs leftfielder Moises Alou was trying to run down during Game 6 of the National League Championship Series at Wrigley Field.

Bartman inadvertently deflected the ball from Alou's grasp. Instead of recording the second out of the eighth inning, the Cubs went on to surrender eight unanswered runs in a monstrous rally by the Florida Marlins to even the NLCS at three games apiece.

The Marlins triumphed 8-3 to force a decisive Game 7 on Wednesday.

A victory Tuesday would have sent the Cubs to their first World Series since 1945.

Alou was initially furious, but he later softened his stance after the game.

"At the time, I was real upset," said Alou. "But at same time, I kind of feel bad for the guy now, because every fan in every ballpark, their first reaction is they want a souvenir. Nobody's going to think about the outcome of the game."

Bartman, who works at an international consulting firm in the suburbs of Chicago, has taken the brunt of Cubs fans' wrath.

He received a security escort out of the park after fans verbally threatened him and pelted him with debris. He woke up Wednesday to find his image on newspapers, TV screens and computers across North America.

Bartman did not attend work on Wednesday, a spokesperson at his workplace told the Sun-Times. He has not yet made any public comments about the incident.

Not everyone in Chicago is bashing Bartman for his actions. Friends and neighbours were quick to come to his defence in a Sun-Times article.

"They say if you are a Cubs fan, you won't catch it," a 63-year-old neighbour of the man said Wednesday. "I don't think that's a natural reaction. It's a natural reaction to catch the ball."

Neighbours also described Bartman as a lifelong Cubs fan and said baseball is his favourite sport. He coaches a youth team in Niles, Ill., according to the Sun-Times.

The Cubs get another crack at earning a World Series berth Wednesday night in Game 7 against the Marlins.

with files from Canadian Press