[Groop] OT "The Curse"

[John T]

OK, it's time to put you guys straight.



I've been a Red Sox fan all my life (41 years). And if "The Curse" isn't 
real, it should be.



Actually, "The Curse" was created by a Boston sportswriter, Dan Shaughnessy, 
in the 80's to "explain" why the Red Sox always fail. He did, of course, 
trace it back to the Red Sox of 1918. (Did you know those early Yankee teams 
had not only the Babe, but, 10 other former Red Sox players on them?). The 
Red Sox not only lost but it spectacular fashion. In 1946, Johnny Peskey 
'held' the ball as the winning run scored in a game. In 1967, Bob Gibson 
threw a 3 hitter in game 7, on 3 days rest (the Boston pitcher was going on 
2 days rest). In 1972, The Red Sox finished ½ out of first (strike year and 
they played one less game). In 1975, there was a "no call" on interference 
call on a Cincinnati player, Ed Armbrister. In 1978, it was a colossal 
collapse (14 games up in August) by the Red Sox and Bucky "#@$%^##" Dent's 
home run in a one game playoff. In 1986, it was Billy Buckner letting a ball 
go though his legs. In 2003, keeping Pedro too long led to Aaron "@#$%##@" 
Boone's HR in extra innings. (Note: all four Red Sox World Series loses have 
been in 7 games.)



Today, I think "The Curse" manifests itself in the enormous pressure the 
fans and press put on the players. Boston is unlike any other sports town. 
The greatest Icon can come tumbling down in an instant. Mike Torrez, who 
gave up Bucky "@$#$#@#$" Dent's home run, was at game 6 in 1986. After 
Buckner's error, he turned to friends and said, "Thank God, I'm off the 
hook!"



A friend of mine's grandmother, a die hard Red Sox fan, passed two days 
after the end of the 86 series. My friend swears to this day it was because 
of the Red Sox failure. For 1986, I personally blame Paul Swanson. I was 
watching the game with friends. On the score board it read "Congratulations, 
Bruce Hurst, 1986 World Series MVP" [Bruce Hurst = B Ruth Curse].  We were 
getting the Champaign out! Out of the corner of the room we hear, "You know, 
it's not over yet." The rest is history!



Of course, all the Red Sox's failures can be traced to logical sources and 
reasons. But the passion of the fans and number and enormity of the failures 
create a mythos around the Red Sox. "The Curse" will only be broken with a 
World Series Championship.



Groo must be a Red Sox fan.



John "Thank God for the Patriots" Torregrossa



P.S. There have been several attempts to break "The Curse". Including a 
Voodoo priestess and someone paying several hundred thousand dollars to 
repurchase the Babe by buying the original contract that sold the Babe to 
New York in the first place.



----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Grossmann, Gary" <GaryG at DOR.WA.GOV>
To: "'Jorge Filevich'" <rage at engr.colostate.edu>
Cc: "Groop" <groop at groo.com>
Sent: Friday, October 22, 2004 1:26 PM
Subject: [Groop] More OT Baseball



We shouldn't make fun of other cultures, but folks in the US have a tendency
to do that.  We especially shouldn't do that in the context of baseball
because baseball players have more superstitions than any other group I've
ever heard of.  Players won't walk on lines or clean a hat or eat different
food and all sorts of other stuff.

But I don't think anybody actually believes in "The Curse."  It's just
something the media plays up to fill time and space and it's a concise and
entertaining way for fans to refer a long string of bad luck or fate or
whatever you want to call it.  Cleveland & the Chicago White Sox have gone
almost as long as the Cubs & Red Sox without winning a World Series and
Houston has never won one in 40 plus years.

But the Red Sox saga is just bizarre and would be considered bad fiction if
it wasn't true:

During the era when pitchers dominated the game, the Red Sox won 3 World
Series in large part because of a big lefthanded pitcher named Babe Ruth,
who could also hit a little.  The Red Sox owner sold the Babe to the Yankees
so he could fund a Broadway show. The Yankees converted Ruth to a full time
hitter, he revolutionized the game with his power hitting, became the
greatest player in the history of the game, an iconic figure of mythic
proportions, and began a Yankee dynasty that lasted about 40 years and
periodically surged over the next 40 years after that.

Meanwhile despite having some great players and great teams, the Red Sox
never won another World Series. Yankees 27 Championships-Red Sox 0.  And
it's not just the losing.  It's the way they have lost. Guys on the opposing
team who shouldn't hit home runs hitting home runs, guys muffing simple
fielding plays. It's the kind of stuff that would leave a fan shaking his
head and saying "We must be cursed."

So this combination of Boston selling off the greatest player in history,
the team he's sold to becoming the most successful sports franchise in
history, Boston never winning again while coming tantilizingly close only to
lose in heartbreaking ways lead to the idea of "The Curse of The Babe."

But you know now that I think about it, Groo is probably responsible in some
way or another.

-Gary G.