daigo.org RSSI don’t believe in the Curse
I do not believe a player from 80 years ago caused all the things to a baseball team, but I thought this paragraph that appeared on “Convention Special Section’ (which was a really good section btw.) about ‘the Curse’ was at least a good historical reference:
Here’s what happened after the Red Sox traded Babe Ruth to the Yankees in 1920: Johnny Pesky holds the ball and the Red Sox lose the 1946 World Series to the Cardinals. Joe McCarthy starts Denny Galehouse and Sox lose the 1948 penant playoff to the Indians. Darrell Johnson takes out Jim Willoughby and the Sox lose the 1975 Series to the Reds. Bucky Bleeping Dent puts one in the screen and Sox lose the 1978 divisional playoff to the Yankees. The ball rolls through Bill Buckner’s legs and the Sox lose the 1986 Series to the Mets. Grady Little leaves in Pedro Martinez and the Sox lose last years pennant to the Yankees. There’s been no Championship since 1918. You think there’s a remote coincidence there? Eighty-five years and counting. —taken directly from The New Boston, in The Boston Globe
Curse, shmurse
By Daigo Fujiwara
The Major League Baseball’s trading deadline is quickly approaching, which means it is rumor time. There was one rumor that our own NOMAH — that’s Boston Red Sox shortstop Nomar Garciaparra for all you non-Sox fans — was possibly going to the Chicago Cubs (and veteran pitcher Randy Johnson coming to the Sox… which will not happen). My friend says “Nomar will love it there. Just look at Steve Bartman! Cubs fans already have forgiven him!” I disagree. There is no way Cubs fans will forget or forgive Steve Bartman. The Cubs missed the World Series by just one game last year, some say because of Bartman’s dropped foul ball. The team holds the longest World Series appearance (1945) AND crown (1908) drought in all the Major League Baseball. How can you forget that?
But I had a chance to catch up with a born-and-bred Cubs fan, — and former resident of the North side of Chicago — my friend Ed. So I asked him if he has forgiven Bartman.
To my surprise, his reply was: “I think some people have. I know I have.”
“I blame the Cubs players for falling apart after that. It was just a foul ball, and anybody would have tried to catch it. After that happened, there were still two strikes on the batter, and the Cubs were still winning 3-0. [Manager] Dusty Baker should have gone out to talk to [pitcher Mark] Prior and settle him down.”
I know people in Boston have definitely not forgiven former manager Grady Little for leaving star pitcher Pedro Martinez in Game 7 of last season’s ALCS after his arm was obviously getting tired. To this day, some can not stand the mention of the name “Grady Little,” which is really too bad. I liked the guy, he led us in two very good seasons - that was just one game. It’s not just Little, Red Sox fans still have a grudge with Bill Buckner for his costly error in Game 6 of the 1986 World Series with the Mets, and that was 18 years ago(!). What’s more, “Red Sox Nation” still hasn’t forgotten Darrell Johnson for taking out Jim Willoughby in 1975 Series against the Reds, Joe McCarthy for starting Denny Galehouse in the one-game 1948 pennant playoff against the Indians, or Johnny Pesky for holding the ball in 1946 Series. The list goes on…
“You don’t believe in that ‘Goat Curse’ nonsense, do you?” I asked. Ed knows that I am not a “Curse” believer. “Not really,” he replied. “But I believe that there is something going on… Only the Cubs (or Red Sox) would have crumbled after that Bartman play.” He talked about there being “bad mojo”. When the foul ball dropped near Steve Bartman, some people started thinking “Oh-uh, here’s where the curse comes in.” The players could perhaps sense that. The downward spiral began. And before you knew it, they gave up 8 runs…
So, after watching both of our home teams not scoring runs (tonight, my Sox lost to Baltimore 4-1 with Curt Schilling on the mound, and his Cubbies lost to the Brewers 6-3 with Kerry Wood on the mound), we concluded that there is no “magic spell” from a baseball player named George Herman Ruth Jr. or from the goat that couldn’t get into Wrigley Field (even though it had a ticket). Rather, it is a negative focus on this championship drought and some of its fans’ bad attitude. That has become “The Curse.”
To which I say, curse, shmurse. This IS the year. I don’t care that the Sox are 8 games behind the Yankees in the standings. I don’t care if “the Big Unit” [Randy Johnson] changes his uniform to pin stripes. Go Red Sox! (and Cubbies, too)
