Should have been no incident at all. Every Yankee fan would have known to pull back from the ball and let the left-fielder catch it. Alou's reaction started a chain reaction (though, I'm not convinced Bartman actually touched the ball) that defined how losers react to adversity.

Bartman, a Cub fan, is accused of interfering with the ball in the field of play. Were that the case, the ump, right on top of the play would have called "fan interference" resulting in an out and the end of the inning, and the Cubs would have had to find another excuse for their inevitable choke. Alou, instead of "leading" his team to an emotional letdown, should have reacted like a multi-million dollar ballplayer and returned, unemotionally, to the playing of the game, rather than glaring at one unfortunate guy in the stands. The play was over. He didn't make it. Stifle the crybaby act.

Bartman would still have a life and the Cubs would still be looking for their first trip to the World Series in something like a hundred and fifty years. But the sun would still rise the next day and the turnstiles at Wrigley would inexplicably continue to turn the following year.