The End Of The "Curse"
And so it ended.
86 years of history ended on a patch of grass in America's heartland with a comebacker — somewhat ironic, in fact, considering that the last time the Red Sox fans were this close to celebrating came in 1986. Fans who lived and died — literally, in some cases — with this team finally had their collective hearts stay intact in October.
We've all heard the talk flying about of a "curse", of Harry Frazee, of Babe Ruth. The talk of Bill Buckner and Bucky bleeping Dent and so many names past leaves the lips of the Red Sox diehard with amazing frequency. But no more.
ESPN even devoted a mock trial earlier this season to the pursuit of which team was more "cursed", the Red Sox or the Chicago Cubs.
It all vanished when Keith Foulke's lob hit Doug Mientkiewicz's mitt for the final out.
For all the talk of curses and Bambinos and heartbreak past, let us not overlook the real reason for this victory. The Red Sox won this title because they were the best overall team in baseball. It did not appear as though that would be the case in April, when a certain number 5 was roaming the shortstop position in Boston. Strangely enough, the man on whom the Red Sox had pinned a lot of their hopes to bring them a championship actually did bring them a championship.
One may argue that the shipment of Nomar Garciaparra to the Cubs — and, in return, the acquisition of underachieving Orlando Cabrera by Boston — was one of the most pivotal midseason trades in the game's history. Combine that with Boston's fleecing of yet another first baseman from the Twins' organization (first David Ortiz, now Mientkiewicz), and the feel of this team just seemed to completely change after the trade deadline.
This team went on an improbable run, much like that of the 2002 Anaheim Angels, and took a lot of the country with it. One of the most tell-tale signs of the appeal of the 2004 Boston Red Sox is that even Yankee fans had to tip their hats to what they accomplished. There is no slight to be handed to the Anaheim Angels, New York Yankees or St. Louis Cardinals. They simply were beaten by a better club.
One of the main reasons I love baseball is because every so often, something happens that, no matter how much the game may otherwise be tarnished, makes me smile. I smiled when Ripken broke Gehrig's streak, I smiled when McGwire hit number 62, and I smiled again last night.
We should now prepare for a 2005 World Series between the two remaining "lovable losers", the Chicago Cubs (1908) and Chicago White Sox (1917). 183 years of history in one World Series just may be too much for this game to handle, but it would be a fun thing to watch.
Somewhere amidst the celebrations by players and fans, I bet Bill Buckner got a really good night's sleep on a cool October evening.
There may not be a more well-deserved night's sleep this year.
File last modified October 31, 2004
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