ENJOY IT WHILE YOU CAN RED SOX NATION
Red Sox win first World Series since 1918, but now what?




By: Russ Rose
Special to Yankees Talk Shop
October 28, 2004

It looks like the Ghost of the Babe can now sleep forever. Last night the Boston Red Sox fully exorcized “The Curse of the Bambino.” With their 3-0 win over the hapless St. Louis Cardinals the Sox ended eighty-six years of frustration. Eighty-six years of watching the New York Yankees win championship after championship. Congratulations Boston for becoming the champions of the baseball world. Now what? What can the Sox do for an encore?

Let’s face it a large part of the passion fueling the so-called rivalry between the Sox and the Yankees was the long suffering Sox always coming up just a little bit short to the Yanks. From 1918 until yesterday it was one bad break after another. Even when the Sox got into the World Series something always happened. In 1946 the Sox faced the same St. Louis Cardinals. The Second World War had just concluded and players, including Ted Williams, had returned from active duty. The Sox won the first game 3-2, and then lost the second 3-0. The series ebbed and flowed and the series got set for Game 7.

With the game tied at three the Cardinals went to work in the bottom of the 8th inning when Enos Slaughter singled and then went home on a hit ripped past Johnny Pesky by Harry Walker. With the score now 4-3 the Sox tried to answer St. Louis. With one out and a runner on 3rd base Red Sox catcher Roy Partee popped out to Cardinals’ first baseman Stan Musial. The game ended on a ground out by Tom McBride to second baseman Red Schoendinst.

Ted Williams, who is probably the best pure hitter ever produced, batted a paltry .200 with no home runs and 1 RBI.

The next time the Sox made it to the World Series was 1967. Once again they faced off against the St. Louis Cardinals. This series had different names, but the result was just the same. It all came down to Game 7 as Bob Gibson faced Jim Lonborg. Both pitchers had won two games and up to that point Gibson had only surrendered four runs in eighteen innings pitched. Lonborg had only surrendered one run and four hits in eighteen innings. Unfortunately for the Sox they were facing the best right-handed pitcher of the day and Gibson completely dominated Boston’s line up winning 7-2. Once more the Sox went home without a ring. The frustration grew.

In the meantime, the Yankees rolled up an impressive number of World Series championships. In the same period of time New York had already won titles in 1923, 1927-28, 1932, 1936-39, 1941, 1943, 1947-53, 1955, 1958, 1961-62. That was nineteen titles. The legend of the Curse of the Bambino grew.

Boston’s next entry into the World Series came in 1975. Their opponents were the Cincinnati Reds, better known as the “Big Red Machine.” The Sox had Jim Rice, Dwight Evans, Carlton Fisk and Carl Yastremski. The Reds countered with Johnny Bench, Joe Morgan, George Foster, Ken Griffey Sr. and Pete Rose.

The ’75 series produced one of the all-time highlight reel scenes ever as Sox catcher Carlton Fisk in Game 6 hit a long fly ball down the left field line. Fisk doing a jumping side step and waving his arms to the fair side of the line mentally willed the ball to stay fair. The Sox season was riding on that ball as they had entered Game 6 down three games to two. The ball hit the foul pole for a home run and gave the Sox a 7-6 victory. They lived to fight another day.

Boston took control of Game 7, jumping out to a 3-0 lead. But, the Reds were just as resolved as the Sox. The fought back to tie the game at three as Pete Rose scored on a single by Tony Perez in the 7th inning. The Reds took a 4-3 lead in the top of the ninth and held on as the Sox went down in order. It was another seven game series and another no brass ring for the cursed Red Sox.

Meanwhile back in New York the Yankees won titles in 1977 and 1978. The frustration grew more and more in the not so sleepy town of Boston.

The hatred Red Sox fans have for all things New York hit an all-time high in 1986 when the Red Sox faced the New York Mets. With the dogma of the Curse in full effect and Boston’s resolve to finally shake it they went into the contest. The Sox had a fireballer by the name of Roger Clemens who was 24-4 and had set an MLB record by striking out 20 hitters. The Mets had a few good pitchers of their own as they showcased Dwight “Doc” Gooden and Ron Darling. It was set to be a great series.

The battle started out overwhelmingly in favor of the Sox as they won Games 1 and 2 beating Darling and Gooden at Shea Stadium. The Mets battled back to take Games 3 and 4 at Fenway. Fast forwarding to Game 6 the Red Sox played to the same script they had in past series. The Mets trailed in the series 3-2 and were one strike away from elimination. With the Sox leading 5-3 the Mets got clutch singles from Gary Carter and Kevin Mitchell off Calvin Schiraldi.

Ray Knight was the next batter and Schiraldi worked him to an 0-2 count. Knight made contact on the next pitch and scored Carter. Mitchell moved to third base and Knight stood on first. It was now 5-4. Bob Stanley replaced Schiraldi and faced Mookie Wilson. Wilson made Stanley work and Stanley uncorked a wild pitch allowing Mitchell to score from third to tie the game at five. Knight moved to second. Wilson continued to work the count as he fouled off a couple of more pitches Wilson finally hit a soft roller fair down the first base line toward Sox first baseman Bill Buckner. As the ball moved toward Buckner you just know there was a gasp of anticipation as the guys in the Boston dugout and fans around the country thought this was it. We finally beat the Curse. In an incredible turn of events the ball went under Buckner’s glove and between his wickets rolling into left field. Knight ran in from second to give the Mets a 6-5 victory. Once again the Curse of the Bambino had stopped the Red Sox. Bill Buckner, a fine fielder and hitter, was unjustly crucified for years for the error. In fact Buckner was playing on two badly sprained ankles. He was in agony and should have been replaced for defensive purposes. He wasn’t and his bad feet betrayed him.

Once more, the Sox were thrust into a Game 7 situation. The outcome, of course, was patented. The Sox lost, again, snatching defeat out of the jaws of victory. Unbeknownst to anyone the ’86 series would be the last the Boston Red Sox would see until this year.

Meanwhile in the City of New York the Mets after winning the ’86 World Series were followed by the Yankees who won titles in 1996, 1998-2000. The frustration and hatred grew more and more in Boston. Since the sale of Babe Ruth from Boston to the Yankees had gathered 26 titles and the Red Sox zero. What was it going to take for the Sox to finally reach the mountain?

In 2003 the Yankees and Sox met in one of the all-time classic playoff series ever played on the baseball diamond. The Red Sox felt last year was their year and it was felt they had what it took finally extricate the Yankees as kings of the American League and pretty much all of baseball. The Sox “cowboyed up” and took the Yankees to task. It was like two heavyweight fighters going hammer and tong for 15 rounds. It all came down to the 11th inning in another Game 7 for the Sox. Aaron Boone’s solo shot into the left-field seats off two-game winner Tim Wakefield sent the Yankees to the World Series and the Sox home for another in an almost countless number of long winters.

However, that one home run might have cost the Yankees more in the long run. It became a rallying point for the Sox and their fans. They came oh so close. They knew they could beat these guys. They started proving it early this year as Boston beat the Yankees six out of the first seven games. Boston eventually took the season series 11-8. But, it was the Yankees which won the division for the 7th straight time.

As only the script could be written the Yankees and Sox met in the 2004 ALCS. Boston was a slight favorite as their pitching and offense was viewed to be better. The Yankees must not have read the papers, because it was their pitching and hitting which proved superior in the first three games of the series. With the Yankees leading the series 3-0 it was all, but over wasn’t it?

Without rehashing what everyone knows the Red Sox, with their backs against the wall, became the aggressors. It was the Sox who played like champions winning the next four games to win the ALCS at Yankee Stadium. The Yankees became the first team in history to lose a seven game series after leading it by a margin of three to zero. It was a tale of the greatest comeback and greatest choke ever accomplished in baseball. The Boston Red Sox had finally beaten the New York Yankees in a playoff series. There was only one more task to complete in order to finally exorcize the Curse forever. That was to win the 2004 World Series.

As I said in an earlier article I felt the Sox would win the World Series, because they were a team of destiny. Nothing was going to stop them. Nothing did. The St. Louis Cardinals, which won 105 regular season games, proved to be nothing more than window dressing as the Red Sox swept them 4-0 to win their first world series in eighty-six years. Congratulations to you and your fans. The question begs, “Now what?”

In winning the World Series the Boston Red Sox and their fans no longer have their rallying cries. No longer do they have the hated Yankees to whine about. No longer will they hear “1918! 1918! 1918!” The Yankees fans will be tearing up their signs and throwing away their gear bearing that date. What is the Red Sox Nation going to use now to fuel their passion and fury? It one fell swoop what has propelled the Red Sox and their fans for 86 years is gone.

Last year most people wanted to see a Red Sox - Cubs World Series. Why? Obviously, it was because neither team had won a World Series in decades. Casual or other teams’ fans felt sorry for those two franchises, because of their long droughts. Well, half of the wish has been fulfilled. Now only the Cubs will have the nation’s sympathies. The Red Sox now have a huge target on their back. You are the king of the mountain and everyone will be gunning for you now. No one will feel sorry for you. So enjoy the moment and the winter Red Sox Nation. Learn a new rallying cry. “Cowboy up” and “Why not us” don’t fit anymore. Additionally, you have a lot of free agents coming up this winter. A lot of them have raised their antis with their playoff performances. You won’t be able to keep them all. It’s always harder to defend your crown than it is to win it. I think you’ll find that out soon enough. See you in April.


PLAY BALL!



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