You Weren’t Cursed, You Just Sucked For 86 Years

You don’t have to be a baseball fan, or even a sports fan for that matter, to be aware of the long bitter rivalry between the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox. However, if you are unfamiliar with "The Curse", then let me explain. The Curse of the Bambino was a superstition cited, often jokingly, as a reason for the failure of the Boston Red Sox baseball team to win the World Series in the 86-year period from 1918 until 2004. While some fans took The Curse seriously, most used the expression in a tongue-in-cheek manner. The Curse was said to have begun after the Red Sox sold Babe Ruth, sometimes called "The Bambino", to the New York Yankees in 1920. Before that year, the Boston Red Sox had been one of the most successful professional baseball franchises, amassing five World Series titles. After the sale, the once-lackluster Yankees became one of the most successful franchises in North American professional sports. Now were the Sox cursed or did they just plain out suck for 86 years? I tend to believe the latter.

Let’s be rational. Babe Ruth was an amazing player, perhaps the best there ever was to play the game, but he was only with the Red Sox for 5 years. So even if they lost their star player to the Yankees and let’s pretend for a minute that losing Babe Ruth was the sole reason for the Sox’s downfall...how do you explain the other 81 consecutive losing seasons? Cursed? No, "suckyness" is more likely the answer. Sorry. I’m not a Yankees fan. I’m not a Red Sox fan. I’m not even a baseball fan for that matter. But you do the math and be reasonable. "The Curse" is just a silly superstition which was most likely fabricated by some jaded Boston fan as a means to calming/explaining his frustrations with his home team being losers and watching his most hated team rise up. I suppose if I witnessed my favorite team losing for nearly a century, I too may start believing in witchcraft.

Now with that said, I have to hand it to one Boston Red Sox fan for his devious and rather humorous antics. It was his attempt of "getting even" and reversing The Curse...

A Red Sox-rooting construction worker, Gino Castignoli, bid to curse the New York Yankees by planting a Boston Red Sox jersey in their new stadium (currently being built) along the 3rd base line. The plan was foiled after the shirt was located in a service corridor behind what will be a restaurant in the new Yankee Stadium. Construction workers spent 5 hours jackhammering through 2 feet of concrete on Sunday to remove the offending shirt from its burial spot. In shreds from the jackhammers, the shirt still bore the letters "Red Sox" on the front. It was a David Ortiz jersey, No. 34.

Castignoli did a little bragging of his good/evil deed to co-workers and friends. And when question about it, he said..."It's not like I snuck in there. It didn't do any structural damage. I didn't put anyone in harm's way. It was worth it." It’s not likely any criminal charges will take place, although this has definitely left some Yankee fans extremely angry. Steinbrenner himself was quoted as saying..."I hope his co-workers kick the shit out of him." Priceless.

Rumor has it that the jersey will be auctioned off and all proceeds, along with the $2,000 the NY Post paid Castignoli for the story, will be donated to a Boston charity. Personally, I would have found it hilarious if Castignoli would use the money to buy Boston Red Sox season tickets, box seats preferably. However, seeing that is he already is a diehard Sox fan, chances are he is already a season ticket holder. And I suppose givnig the money to a Boston charity is the kinder thing to do. It’s nice to know that some good can come out of loathing the Yankees. Well done Castignoli! This will go down as one of the my favorite sports stories ever.