The Sports View

By Sun Advocate

Born on the East Coast and raised a third generation Red Sox fan, what more could a girl ask for?
How about a Red Sox World Series Championship?
Living in the East has brought me to the realization of two unwavering truths. One, Boston is beautiful in the fall and, two, the changing of the leaves brings the downhill slide of the Red Sox franchise.
Year after year I sit in my Boston Red Sox garb, faithful and loyal. I watch every game broadcast. I read every article in print. And as soon as the autumn wind blows, my team takes a vacation to a warmer climate.
Losing is a precedent set before the dawn of time or more specifically January 3, 1920, when the Boston Red Sox made the biggest sport’s blunder in baseball’s history and traded George Herman Ruth (better known as Babe Ruth, also know as the Sultan of Swat, and all those other names they call him in the movie the Sandlot) to the New York Yankees for $150,000 and a $300,000 loan.
And so the curse was born, affectionately, or maybe I should say regrettably, referred to as the “Curse of the Great Bambino.” The facts are these, since that seemingly intelligent and lucrative trade of a better than average pitcher to the New York Yankees, winning a World Series has been either devastatingly far from grasp or right under our noses. The last time the Red Sox won a championship was in 1918. It wasn’t until 57 years later that the Sox decided to grace major league baseball with an appearance in the World Series against the Cincinnati Reds. Even with Carlton Fisk’s bottom of the 12th home run in game 6 the Sox found themselves tied three games each. There was hope�until game seven�I’ll let you guess how it ended.
It was even closer in ’86. The Sox played the New York Mets in a historical game six match up which ended when Red Sox first basemen, Bill Buckner, blew the lead with two outs and two strikes on Mookie Wilson when a ground ball glided through his legs into shallow right field. The Mets scored. It was all down hill from there. Do you see a pattern?
I’m putting my cards on the table because I have to know; when are the Red Sox going to overcome their autumn blues and shake the world of baseball with a World Series triumph? The Curse of the Bambino can’t last forever…can it? Cubs fans know what I’m talking about. They came excruciatingly close last year but were rubbed out by the Marlins in game six and seven of the National League Division Series. It would have been (notice the emphasis on would have been) the first time they have appeared in the World Series since 1945.
Let’s imagine for a minute that the Cubs and the Red Sox met in the World Series that year�.just think about it�let it soak in���.doesn’t that feel good? The potential for the best match up in modern World Series history; that close. Cruel. Very cruel.
With a beefed up line-up, a talented coaching staff and a pitching staff sprinkled with the likes of Curt Schilling, Tim Wakefield and the unforgettable Pedro Martinez, the Red Sox seem more prepared than ever before to face the challenges of a World Series contender.
So far we’ve seen the Red Sox clinch the wild card and sweep the Angels in the first round of playoffs. They now look forward to an American League Championship face-off with the New York Yankees. Yankee and Red Sox fans will be glued to their television sets to witness possibly seven ball games, the outcome of which taking the winner to the World Series. Fans on both sides will hold their breath until the end of game seven.
A few things can be said about Bostonians, they’re stubborn, they’re blunt and they will always be loyal to the home team. A victory is followed by devout celebration. Flyers will be mailed out to loved ones with a picture of their arm around their favorite ballplayer. Fans will stop off at the nearest copy center to obtain their own life-size cutouts of Pedro Martinez, Jason Varitek or any beloved Red Sox player. They’ll take their new life-size picture to lunch, show them around their workplaces and set those two magnificent people at the heads of their dinner tables. Yeah we’re that crazy.
One thing is true about Boston, it is beautiful in the fall.