THE CURSE REVERSED

I don't believe in curses, Bamino or otherwise, but that doesn't stop me from thinking that those who do ought to at least respect the logic of the curse when speculating as to its origins.



There seems to be a view in Chowderville and its propaganda machine (ESPN) that the Red Sox reversed the curse of the Bambino in 2004, when they won 4 straight to take the ALCS. But if the curse were still in effect to that point, it stands to reason, then the feast itself would mhave been rendered impossible from the start. To suggest otherwise is to confuse cause and effect, the lifting of the curse with the proof of its having been lifted.



Others have pointed to the acquisition of AROD as the point of reversal and I think this is closer to the truth. AROD is after all as giant a disappointment ans the Babe was an unqualified boon. The Babe held the record for World series homers for 35 years until the Mick broke it in 1964 (interestingly, a Series that spelled the true end of the Yankees dynasty circa 1924-1964 (or Babe to Gehrig to Dimaggio to Berra to Mantle to Maris). AROD of course is the very reversal of that clutch proficiency--the incredible shrinking postseason performer. But still the logic isn't quite right. After all the curse started with the Yankees taking a star from the Sox; it should be reversed with the Sox taking one form the Yanks, or the Yanks not taking one from the Sox, i. e. failing to capitalize on the kind of opportunity that got the curse rolling.



And now we can see exactly where the curse got reversed. In 2002, the Red Sox grew fed up with the one modern day ballplayer who rivals Babe Ruth in hitting for average, hitting with power, hitting in the clutch combined with being a clown, being colorful, and being beloved for both. I refer of course to Manny Ramirez, whose signature epithet, it's Manny being Manny, could just as easily read it's Manny channeling the Babe. Now the Red Sox did something arguably as stupid as selling the Babe to finance No No Nanette. They put Manny on waivers with absolutely no intention of pulling him off if they could get someone to pick up his 18mil per year salary. It was widely understood at that point that only the Yankees would be willing to throw that kind of money around and Manny made his willingness to go to the Yankees no secret. For mere money, albeit a lot of money, the Yankees secured the Babe and became the most successful franchise in sports history. Fro mere money, albeit a lot of money, they could have secured Manny Ramirez and extended that 29th century success story into the new millenium. But they failed to secure the man who, more than Mantle or Dimaggio or Gehrig or Jackson is the heir to Babe Ruth as the premiere idiot savant hitter of his time, a man who doesn't know enough or care enough to feel pressure and so doesn't know enough or care enough to let his prodigious talents down. The Yankees let the Red Sox, no made the Red Sox keep the new Babe and made possible the reverse of the curse. As invincibly stupid as they had become, the Red Sox still looked to dump Manny for AROD and insead of letting them do it, the Yankees redoubled their error by swooping in and snatching up a man whose all around abilities as a ballplayers are exceeded only by his all around debilities as a loser. Of course had the Yankees taken the original gift, or rather the Ruthian sequel, the Red Sox would have had nothing to barter for AROD, the Yankees would have felt no need to pursue him, and he would still be putting up outrageous numbers in Arlington or some other backwater where nobody expects you to win or blames you for losing.



The Yankees reversed the curse themselves by failing to recognize in the Ranirez salary/attitude dump the second coming of the Ruth sale and all that went with it. Since then, it has been the Red Sox who get the decent players that just seem to fit in so well, the Orlando Cabreras, the Mike Lowells, the Bill Muellers. These are the modern day equivalents of a
Scott Brosius, Oscar Gamble, Bucky Dent, Mariano Duncan, the effects of a charmed baseball life.
Or they would be if curses really existed.