Roberts pleased things fell into place
In his only visit to Wrigley Field prior to Tuesday, Brian Roberts observed one of the most painful moments in Cubs history.
Baltimore's second baseman had a seat for "that" game. The Bartman game. Game 6 of the 2003 National League Championship Series.
Luis Castillo of the Florida Marlins lifted a lazy flyball near the Cubs' bullpen down the left-field line, Moises Alou hustled over to the wall to make the catch and then, well, you know the rest.
Cubs fan Steve Bartman interferred - or didn't - with Alou's attempt to make the catch, which had the left fielder made, would have moved the Cubs within four outs of their first World Series berth since 1945.
The Cubs lost and then dropped Game 7, as well.
I remember the atmosphere that night," said Roberts, who was invited to the game by good friend Jeff Conine, then of the Marlins.
"It was fun for me, not caring one way or the other (who won). It was just fun to be a part of."
A lot of baseball fans, including Roberts, thought during the off-season that he'd be a part of the 2008 Cubs, who entered Tuesday's game against Roberts' Orioles with the most wins in baseball (48). The Orioles (38-36), meanwhile, are playing winning ball, too.
"I thought I was going to be a Cub in December," Roberts said. "Obviously it's worked out well for both teams at this point. (The Cubs) are playing great, and we've played pretty well so far. I think everybody's happy the way it is right now."
Mark DeRosa included.
Had the Cubs acquired Roberts in a much-rumored trade, DeRosa would not be the Cubs' starting second baseman. All DeRosa has done in the first half is hit .285 with 8 homers and 37 RBI.
Roberts has had a good first half, too, ranking among American League leaders in doubles (26), triples (5) and stolen bases (21), while batting .290.
"I've known Mark for a while and I felt terrible that he was going through that (trade talk) this spring and this winter," Roberts said. "He's turned himself into a really good player. It wasn't like he wasn't going to play, obviously, if I ended up over here. He's having a great year and it's good for me to see that. I love watching him play. We've always been big fans of each other."
So, in Roberts' opinion, would Alou have made the catch had Bartman didn't attempt to grab the infamous foul ball?
I'll pass on that one," he said with a grin.