Tank's take week of 10/19/03

[NJTank]

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Curses

Logic and science suggest there could be no such thing as curses. However, seeing is believing after the events of this week, it would be hard not to believe that curses exist, as both the Chicago Cubs and Boston Red Sox were just 5 outs from the World Series with a 3-run lead.

The weirdness started Tuesday Night in Chicago with the Cubs up 3-0 on the Florida Marlins at Wrigley Field going into the 8th Inning. For all intensive purposes the city of Chicago looked ready for a party as the Cubs appeared to be cruising to their first World Series in 58 years.

However, a half inning earlier perhaps Bernie Mack tempted fait by claiming the Cubs the Champs as he led the crowd in the singing of "Take Me Out to the Ball Game." Then fate interfered when with 1 out in the 8th a fan named Steve Bartman interfered with Moises Alou preventing him from recording the 2nd out. Had Alou caught the ball the Marlins 8-run rally never gets off the ground. A day later the Marlins would hit Cubs ace Kerry Wood hard breaking hearts all over Chicago.

While the Cubs were having their hearts ripped out by the Marlins the Red Sox appeared to have finally exorcized the demons and were on the verge of beating the Yankees leading 5-2 with 1 out in the 8th Inning of Game 7. However Manager Grady Little inexplicably left Pedro Martinez into pitch and the Yankees rallied to tie the game, eventually winning in the 11th on a HR by Aaron Boone.

Sure there is a logical explanation for both the Cubs and Red Sox choking again. Had Moises Alou not been interfered with, or if Alex Gonzalez fielded Miguel Cabrera's groundball cleanly and turned a tailor-made double play the Cubs would have been likely playing in the World Series, and nobody would have ever remembered the meddling fan who failed to get out of the way of his team's LF. While, the Red Sox too may have been in the World Series if Manager Grady Little had taken a tired Pedro Martinez out of the game in the 8th Inning.

However, beyond logic, one has to wonder why these two teams have been star crossed for so long. The Cubs have not won a World Series since 1908, and the Red Sox since 1918. The White Sox have a drought too in which they have not a won a World Series since 1917 nor been to a World Series since 1959. How come nobody ever mentions the White Sox drought, is that they don't have enough fans who care, or does the 1919 Black Sox scandal rob them of any sympathy. It probably is a little of both, as the White Sox are clearly second class citizens in the Second City, and thus have a smaller fan base.

Not only do the Cubs have more fans in Chicago, but thanks to WGN they have a large national following. While the Red Sox fan base is an entire region in that Red Sox baseball is engrained in the lives of all those who live in New England. With some many colleges in New England, Red Sox mania is also sometimes spread across the country. So with so many fans in misery each year an explanation must be made, so the idea of a curse is born.

Curses are nothing new to the people of New England as all 6 states are founded in puritan principals, which encourages suffering for one's beliefs. However it is also the home of the Salem Witches, which the same puritans, persecuted killed people whom practiced witchcraft or other dark religions. The stories of the Salem Witch Trials still run cold through the bergs, and villages of New England, which is full of many old churches and cemeteries from the time before the War for Independence. In fact no one loves a good ghost story more then New Englanders, as perhaps the most famous horror writer himself Steve King, as lived in the region his entire life, not coincidentally he is a die hard Red Sox fan.

Witchcraft, curses, and ghost stories are a fundamental part of New England's culture, so it is only natural that a Curse comes up as the explanation of the Red Sox failures for 85 years. While many of the real reasons behind the Red Sox failures are ignored.

The sale of Babe Ruth to the Yankees was a horrendous move, but so was not signing a black player until 1959. In the 12 years between the debut of Jackie Robinson and the Red Sox becoming the last team to sign a black player, Red Sox management turned down a chance to sign Willie Mays. Had they signed Mays, does anyone doubt they would of won at least 1 Championship?  Sure other loses are a bit harder to explain, like the Bucky Dent HR, or Buckner's error. So instead of kicking oneself the idea of a curse is born.

While in Chicago the Billy Goat curse is a more recent addition in that the Cubs were not in contention for many years so any talk of them winning was not even relevant. In fact the whole Bill Goat incident does not make sense, why would anyone want to bring a goat to baseball game in the first place. The real reasons the Cubs have not won is they have been notoriously cheap, and have made several bad trades including the infamous Lou Brock for Ernie Brollio trade.  

However, all the logic aside the curses both the Curse of the Bambino and the Bill Goat Curse are both in fact true. A curse only works if you believe in it and enough people in Boston and Chicago believe in these curses that an air of doom always surround the 2 franchises.

It is in fact the players and fans that have cursed themselves. In that the first time something goes wrong there is a sense of panic, and here we go again all over the place, that allows the curses to live and breathe, and grow. It's the weight of time and frustration of past failures that makes the curses bigger and harder to overcome.

Had the thought of the curse not been there perhaps the Cubs would have overcome the interference of Steve Bartman, which may have helped Alex Gonzalez turn the double play. Had the Red Sox not feared blowing it again, perhaps Manager Grady Little would have been more decisive and taken Pedro Martinez out of the game. It these moments that curse the Red Sox and Cubs not Babe Ruth or the Billy Goat.

The same holds true for the Yankees, there is mystique at Yankee Stadium, they simply believe that they will get the big hit when they need it. Sometimes the Yankees don't come through but that belief remains, and it's is that positive reinforcement that helps them get through the tough times and overcome adversity.  

One thing could be said about this years Red Sox team and outwardly at least they seemed not to believe in the curse. If they can some how put Game 7 in the past, they can challenge again next year. Although repeating what they did this year will be hard since many Sox hitters like Bill Meuller, and David Ortiz had career years, that they would be hard pressed to duplicate. While the Cubs, a young team with perhaps more talent may be even worse off, as getting over their loss will be quiet a chore for anyone even without talk of a curse.  

A decade earlier a team in another sport faced a curse, and that was the New York Rangers. They had gone 54 years without a Stanley Cup and were coming off a disappointing last place season. The Rangers started that season with a new coach in Mike Keenan who made a video showing the team what a ticker tape parade would be like. With the positive reinforcement of the parade in the head the Rangers began the season in the right mindset and spent most of the season in first place.

The Rangers had just one goal in mind that year and that was the Stanley Cup, and at the trade deadline they made sure they had all the right players, and this included trading fan favorites and up and coming prospects for proven playoff performers. The moves worked out as the Rangers cruised into the Eastern Conference Finals.

However, in the Eastern Finals the Rangers faced doom once again as they feel behind in the series to the New Jersey Devils 3 games to 2 and worse yet trailed in Game 6 on the road 2-0. In the past the Rangers would have folded as the weight of the curse overwhelmed them. However, Mark Messier guaranteed a win earlier in the day and took the weight of the rest of the team. He further came trough by adding a hat trick as the Rangers won the game and forced a 7th game which they won in Double overtime.

Those same Rangers faced more adversity as they nearly blew 3-1 series leading the finals to the Vancouver Canucks. However, the positive reinforcement of Messier and Keenan stopped any ideas of gloom and doom becoming lodged into the players' heads. Things would get tight in Game 7 as the Rangers had to withstand a barrage of shots in the final minutes, but they in fact held on and won the Stanley Cup as the curse died.

If the Sox and Cubs are to end their curses they will need the same recipe. The talent is only part of the equation they need players who are also string mentally and a leader who can stand above it all. As of right now it appears as if the Sox and Cubs have no one to fill those roles, which is why the curses may live on for a little while longer.

A word of advice to meddling fan Steve Bartman, move, since you can no longer live comfortably in Chicago. Imagine the next time you go to Wrigley Field or another Chicago sporting event. I can't imagine that being much fun, as some idiot will try to hurt you, and by the looks of Mr. Bartman, chances are he may not do good in a fight. Right or wrong the fans blame Bartman, and unless he apologizes and has a group hug with the rest of the Cubs, he will never be forgiven. Everywhere he goes fans will point, and say, That's the man who cost us the World Series." Right or wrong it's a fact, and unless he leaves the Chicago area his life will never be normal again.

Hero of the Week: Aaron Boone; struggling badly perhaps he seemed the least likely to be the hero in Game 7 as he had just 1 hit in his previous 14 at bats.  In addition Boone had struggled badly since arriving in New York in a trade with the Cincinnati Reds on July 31st. However his horrific postseason batting average and struggles in pinstripes were all forgotten as he sent the Yankees on to the World Series with one swing of the bat. Make no mistake this home run is one of the biggest in the history of baseball; especially if the Yankees go on to beat the Florida Marlins in the World Series. Perhaps one day it will be able to live in good company with Bobby Thompson's famous shot heard around the world.  

Geek of the Week: Warren Sapp of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers who equated the NFL rules and punishment levied on players to that of slavery. Just two weeks ago Rush Limbaugh's life was turned upside down for saying the press rooted for Donovan McNabb because he was black. However there was no outrage at Sapp, once again illustrating the double standard. However Sapp's statements are just stupid. I guarantee you there were no slaves that were paid a million dollars. Sapp is one of the best players in the NFL playing on the defending Super Bowl Champions. However, he makes himself look bad with such ridiculous statements. Maybe he should read about the lives of slaves and the torture they went true before he compares a simple code of conduct that the league has for all its players. After all if Warren Sapp and the NFL players are slaves then let me sign up I'll be happy to make their 6 or 7 figure slave wages.  

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