BOB NIGHTENGALE

Indians' Jason Kipnis defends Steve Bartman, thinks he should throw first pitch

Bob Nightengale, USA TODAY Sports
Jason Kipnis grew up near Bartman in Chicago.

CLEVELAND — Jason Kipnis grew up down the street from him in their Chicago suburb of Northbrook. They went to the same St. Norbert Catholic School. His sister was the same age as him. Kipnis even shared the same passion as him. Together, they were diehard Chicago Cubs fans.

Kipnis went onto to become the Cleveland Indians’ All-Star second baseman and will be in the starting lineup tonight for Game 1 of the 112th World Series against the Chicago Cubs at Progressive Field.

The other, well, remains shrouded in mystery.

His name is Steve Bartman.

Yes, that Steve Bartman.

In a series that features a litany of compelling story lines, with the two teams having the longest combined drought in World Series history at 174 years, the most captivating drama is Kipnis’.

He was a Cubs fan, through and through.

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His uncle delivered one of Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg’s children.

He loved Sammy Sosa, Mark Grace, Kerry Wood and the boys.

He was heartbroken when the Cubs collapsed in the 2003 NLCS against the Florida Marlins, blowing a 3-1 lead.

He was terrified when police cars spent the next month camped down the street, outside Bartman’s house, trying to assure his safety after all of the death threats, for simply being the poor soul whose hands deflected the foul ball from the glove of left fielder Moises Alou.

“The only thing I’m mad about Bartman for,’’ Kipnis says, “is missing an easy fly ball. You kidding me? Every other fan was going for the ball. And every other fan still goes for the ball right now. So there’s no blame on him.

“There never should have been.

“He didn’t deserve that. He’s a nice guy. He didn’t need to be put in that situation.

“I haven’t seen him since. I don’t think not many people in Chicago have seen him since. There’s some dumb fans that have ruined it for him.”

Cubs fan Steve Bartman interferes with a foul ball Game 6 of the NLCS.

If it were up to Kipnis, he would have Bartman throw out one of ceremonial first pitches at Wrigley Field. If he needed a ticket, he would leave him on the pass list. If he saw him again in person, he would hug him.

“He didn’t deserve all of that,” says Kipnis. “He’s a very loyal fan, who wanted a foul ball, and the way the events turned, made him into a scapegoat.

“If he threw out a first pitch, I think everyone would go nuts.’’

Now, here is Kipnis, possibly the one who prolongs the Cubs’ 108-year championship drought.

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Hey, even in Cleveland, they could feel sorry for the Cubs, whose drought only goes back to 1948.

Perhaps this is why Kipnis was so conflicted when he watched the Cubs clinch their first pennant since 1945 Saturday night when they defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers, struggling to control his emotions.

“It was just weird,’’ said Kipnis. “You’re happy for all of your friends and family back home, but I didn’t really know how to handle it. I couldn’t tell if I was happy, sad, mad, or what.

“All I know was that I was emotional.

“I was choked up.’’

But please, Kipnis said, while he grew up a Cubs fan, and family members and close friends are Cubs fans, let him say it loud and clear:

“I have zero conflict,’’ said Kipnis who tried to buy lunch at Chipotle the other day, only for the cashier to refuse his money. “It’s more like, 'Why do I have to beat the Cubs, not why does this have to be versus the Cubs?

“There’s not one part of me that doesn’t wish for this curse to keep going. Every single Cubs player or any player I’ve ever been a fan of, I’ll gladly trade that in for my own personal success.’’

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There will be a tremendous outpouring of emotions all day Tuesday throughout this proud city. It’s being called the greatest night in Cleveland sports history, what with the Cleveland Cavaliers receiving their NBA championship rings just minutes before the Indians play their first World Series since their devastating Game 7 loss in 1997.

It went down as the Blown Save. It was simply the latest curse in Cleveland sports history.

The Fumble. The Drive. The Shot. The Move. The Decision.

Yet, leave it up to Akron native LeBron James, to bring Cleveland their first sports championship of any kind in June. The Indians immediate went on a 14-game winning streak, and ran away with the AL Central title. And suddenly, Cleveland has never looked more beautiful.

“It will be an absolute zoo,” says Kipnis. “The excitement. The electricity. The buzz. To have a ring ceremony and host Game 1 of the World Series, this is the center of the sports world.

“I’m hoping I can get home before 3 a.m.”

Sorry, while James has been caught wearing a New York Yankee cap before at ballgames, he is now an Indians’ fan, leading the charge as their No. 1 cheerleader.

“LeBron put Cleveland on his back the last few years,” says reliever Cody Allen, “so now’s he’s got everybody cheering for guys, which is a good feeling.’’

Well, not quite everyone.

Maybe not even anyone outside the 216 area code.

Those lovable Cubs, who had gone the most years of any professional sports team without even reaching a championship game or series, have become America’s Team.

They’re the ones on TV almost every Monday, Wednesday and Sunday on ESPN, Saturdays on Fox, and some Sundays on TBS.

They’re the ones who have Fox salivating over their potential massive ratings, with executives declaring that by simply having the Cubs in the World Series, it was worth at least five or six ratings points more than if the Dodgers - in the nation’s No. 2 media market - had won the NLCS.

The secondary ticket marketplace in this World Series has exploded. The average ticket prices for Games 3-5 at Wrigley Field have now reached $4,100 per TickPick, compared to just $1,563 per tickets in Cleveland. Certainly, the price difference has caught the Cubs’ fans attention. There are now twice as many orders coming from Illinois for the Cubs’ games in Cleveland, according to TickPick, than the games at Wrigley.

There’s real fear among Indians executives that these frenzied Cubs’ fans are willing to pay so much money for tickets, even their own season-ticket holders may find the temptation to great to pass up.

“When you say it’s Cleveland versus the world,’’ says Indians starter Josh Tomlin, “it almost sounds like you’re needy. But that’s what it is.’’

The Indians, of course, are the heavy underdogs again, just as they were against the Boston Red Sox in the Division Series, and the Toronto Blue Jays in the ACLS. No one gave them a chance then. No one gives them a chance now.

“If curses are real,’’ Kipnis said, “there seems to be a stronger curse. If the baseball gods want to take it in their own hand, I think it’s a serious thing not to let that goat end. I don’t know how the baseball gods can ever forgive them?

“That makes the series cool, that one of those curses comes to an end.’’

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