Jeff Flock: Fan in foul-ball flap a Little League coach
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CNN's Jeff Flock
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CNN's Jeff Flock recalls the heartbreak and outrage of Chicago Cubs fans after Game 6 of the NL championship series.
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CHICAGO, Illinois (CNN) -- The Chicago Cubs were five outs away from going to the World Series for the first time since 1945 when a fan tipped a foul ball as Cubs left fielder Moises Alou leapt to catch it.
The Florida Marlins took advantage of the dropped fly ball and an error by shortstop Alex Gonzalez, scoring eight runs in the eighth inning. They went on to win Tuesday's game 8-3 at Wrigley Field, forcing a pivotal Game 7 in the National League Championship Series.
CNN Correspondent Jeff Flock discussed the game and Cubs fans' reactions with CNN Anchor Daryn Kagan on Wednesday.
FLOCK: It's interesting that you get both viewpoints. There are more forgiving fans that say anybody would have done that or others who say, "String that guy up." ...
A lot of people are saying anybody would have done that. ... Other people were reaching for that ball as well. Not just this man alone, but he was the one who touched it.
We believe we know who this fan is. We would not reveal his name at this point, but we have talked to folks who tell us he's a Little League baseball coach. [We] talked to someone whose son played Little League baseball for this man.
... This man [was] led away, not thrown out of the park but ... taken away for his safety. As he was taken between the stands, folks were throwing beer and other objects at him. He attempted to put a coat up over his face to conceal his identity because he had some sense of what he was up against. Another man came up and tried to pull the coat away.
This guy wasn't the one who made the error at shortstop and wasn't the guy pitching when they started teeing off on the ball. Still, some people think this was the whole momentum shifter, and there's probably not a whole lot of debate about that. This perhaps did shift the momentum.
What we learned about this man -- [he's a] Little League baseball coach described to us a good guy, who is great with the kids and loves baseball.
We'll see. If they win tonight, all is forgiven.
