There was no human being ever in a worse place during a worse time than the earphone donning Cubs fan Steve Bartman. He may have been an honest, decent guy prior to this incident. Unfortunately for Bartman, life before this moment no longer counts.

Five years later, Bartman is getting a chance to redeem himself. In a publicity stunt and “neat promotion” drummed up by the guys at SportsBuy.com and the National Sports Collectors Convention, Bartman has been offered 25K to simply show up to the 29^th Annual Convention in Rosemont, IL, sign a photograph of the fateful event, and walk away—no questions asked—with 250 $100 bills in suitcase, in a very Sopranos-meets-007-type situation.

So, why now? Why this? Why him? According to Kevin Klein of SportsBuy.com, the answers are clear and founded not in a mobster slash espionage master plan, but rather something more acceptable for say, a made-for-TV movie.

“We want to make something positive come out of the negative situation. If we can sprinkle thousands of dollars into the Chicagoland area through a Bartman sponsorship, then it will do some good.”

Sportsbuy.com and the NSCC disclosed early on that if Bartman agreed to the appearance and indeed signed the picture, then the photo would be auctioned off at the event with all proceeds going to Chicago-based charities.

Klein thinks this is a win-win opportunity for everyone involved, most importantly, Bartman, admitting that even if the picture doesn’t bid for a “substantial amount of money, any money will do some good.” For Bartman, Klein sees it as an opportunity to be associated with some good, for a change.

After all, this single autograph signing would trump any in history, including some of the biggest names in the biz like Lou Gehrig, Michael Jordan and Babe Ruth.

“We wanted to make an enticing offer to have him [Bartman] show up. What we’re trying to do is do something that’s newsworthy to the Chicago area,” said Klein of the efforts to bring publicity to the Convention site.

All of this good-natured talk and positive spin is apparently not enough for the reclusive fan, however. As of Thursday afternoon, only hours after the offer was announced publicly, ESPN.com reported Bartman’s decline of the offer.

“That’s unfortunate,” said Klein after hearing the news. “I can understand— maybe he’s concerned about walking back into a hostile environment.”

Ya think? Considering speculations that he actually relocated to Florida in the aftermath of the event, I’d say Bartman’s scars go pretty deep. Despite plans for extra local law enforcement and high security in his name at the Rosemont Convention, apparently the fear of further heckling, seeing his face on every news station ever known to man and getting shunned by an entire league was just too much for the Northbrook native to handle…again.

Gee, I guess for some people, $25,000 just isn’t worth it.

Check Out More Cubs Articles on MOUTHPIECESPORTS.