The Red Sox look down and out.
Saturday night's 19-8 shellacking was reminiscent of the BostonMassacre. The Sox pitching staff hasn't looked that bad sincebefore the arrival of Pedro. The Sox ran out of firepower as theYankees guns (A-Rod, Sheffield, Matsui) were blazing for a combined12-16, 12 RBI, and four home runs. Now the Sox must bounce backfrom a seemingly insurmountable three-game deficit, although theyare 25-percent there with the victory last night.
Everyone has been talking about a Schilling or Pedro return forGame 5, but the Sox didn't look like they'd even get to a Game5.
It's hard to think that only a week ago people were talkingabout how this same team was the team that would break theCurse.
Only a week ago Curt Schilling was guaranteeing a Game 1 victoryover the Yankees.
Only a week ago this city was filled with hope. Did the Curse ofthe Bambino hit the idiots?
The Curse. Red Sox owner Harry Frazee sold Babe Ruth to theYankees in 1920 for $100,000 (the biggest bargain since PeterMinuit bought Manhattan from Native Americans for $24) and bothteams have gone in opposite directions ever since. The Sox have notwon a title since 1918 while the Yankees have won 26 titles,starting with their first victory in 1923.
Let's revisit some Curse history. Boston Globe columnist DanShaughnessy coined the term after 1978 and explored the many RedSox pitfalls in his 1990 book The Curse of the Bambino.
1946: Game 7 of the World Series against the St. LouisCardinals. Harry Walker hits a line drive single to right-centerwith Enos Slaughter on first in the bottom of the eighth with twoouts and 3-3 score. Johnny Pesky cuts off the throw from center asSlaughter rounds third and hesitates to throw it to home asSlaughter scores to give the Cardinals the lead and the eventualvictory.
1978: A one-game playoff with the New York Yankees for the rightto move on to the playoffs. The Red Sox had squandered a 14-gamedivision lead over the final three months, fell behind the Yankeesin September, and had to win their final eight games to force theone-game playoff. Bucky Dent, a .140 hitter of the last 20 games,stepped in with two men on and the Yankees down 2-0 in the top ofthe seventh. The shortstop smashed a home run over the GreenMonster, giving the Yankees a 3-2 lead and an eventual 5-4victory.
1986: The tenth inning of Game 6 of the World Series. The RedSox, holding a 3-2 series lead, have a 5-3 lead and are one outaway from winning the title. Three singles and a wild pitch later,the Mets tied the game at 5-5 with Mookie Wilson facing BobStanley. Wilson then hit a weak roller down the first base linethat appeared to be an easy out for Bill Buckner. The ball rolledunder Buckner's glove as Ray Knight scored from second to give theMets the Game 6 victory. The Sox then lost Game 7 and the WorldSeries.
2003: Game 7 of the ALCS against the Yankees. In case you don'tknow the story, the Sox held a 5-3 lead in the bottom of the eighthwith one out and Bernie Williams on first. The Red Sox were fiveouts from the World Series. Pedro Martinez was clearly laboring,having already given up a run in the inning, yet manager GradyLittle left Pedro in the game even though Alan Embree was warm inthe bullpen. Martinez gave up two more runs before Little liftedhim. And in the 11th inning, Aaron Boone swatted a Tim Wakefieldpitch to give the Yankees the win.
There have been more chances, and other collapses (1948, 1967,1975 and 1999 - the Red Sox gave up 14 runs past the sixth inningin the 4-1 loss in the '99 ALCS).
Were the expectations of the 2004 team so high that losing thisyear could classify them as Cursed? Indeed, the majority ofbaseball analysts predicted this team to win the title, includingJayson Stark and Peter Gammons. Rather than cowboy-ing up, theseSox are looking like they are going to go belly up.
To say this team is in a precarious position is being very, verymodest. In the MLB, the NBA, and the NHL in best-of-seven series,teams down 3-0 have a 2-236 record. The only two teams to recoverand win the series from 3-0 deficits were in the NHL (the 1942Toronto Maple Leafs and the 1975 New York Islanders).
I, for one, still believe this is the season. The Red Sox haveall the odds against them, and are in the perfect position forredemption. Think about it.
They are down 3-1 to their greatest nemesis (Evil Empire) andface overwhelming odds. Curt Schilling, the injured team ace whohas guaranteed a victory over the Yankees, may not be available topitch until Game 6 or 7 (assuming they make it that far) and hashis hopes for a Willis Reed type comeback rest on a Reebok boot.Johnny Damon, the leadoff hitter whose production has been the keyto the Sox offense this season and who arguably has been the teamMVP this year, has been an intolerable 1-13 through the first threegames and is looking to break out. And Pedro, who lost Game 2,still has yet to prove the Yankees are not his "daddy."
The Yankees are the perfect foil to this team. The clean-shaven,all business New Yorkers have a stranglehold on the fun-loving,idiot frat boys. The hated Yankees, who have profited the most fromthe Curse, threaten once again to destroy the hopes of achampionship starved city with a fantastic fan base and an evenmore amazing ballpark.
The seeds for the perfect melodrama are planted. It's up to theSox to cultivate them and move on to the Series. Hopefully, it willbe an interesting week.
