Accursed No More

29 October 2004


Red Sox Sweep Pathetic Cardinals

One long suffered fan of the Boston Red Sox wrote as his headline “God proves his existence.” In a way, the first World Series triumph of the formerly cursed team from the Bay State was a miracle. Not because an 86-year-long drought had ended, although that was historically notable. No, the real miracle for the Red Sox fans was the disappearance of any talent from the opposition St. Louis Cardinals. Boston did well to reach the final match up, and so did the Cardinals. Once, there, however, only the Red Sox played at a professional level.

This should not diminish the accomplishment of the Red Sox in anyone’s eyes. Finishing number one in any league is something of an achievement, even if it’s 9-year-olds in Little League. And there is no doubt that Boston played the best baseball of any of the 8 teams in the play-offs this year during the play-offs.

St. Louis, though, won 105 games out of the 162 they played in the regular season. They had the statistically best offense and second best pitching staff in the National League. They finished with the best record in baseball. On paper, they should have not only been competitive; they should have won.

Baseball, though, is played on grass, not on paper. When the four games were over, St. Louis had hit a miserable .190 while its pitchers’ ERA was even more troubling at 6.09. The third, fourth and fifth hitters in the line-up managed a single hit in the first three games -- a bunt single. The turning point came in the first inning of game three. With the bases loaded and one out, the Cardinal’s failed to score. After that, the series was a Shakespeare play after all the killing was done – the players just hustled through what remained to get out of the stadium. Now, one of the reasons the Cards played so poorly was the Red Sox’ excellent play. It was a case of good pitching stopping good hitting and vice versa, to borrow from Yogi Berra.

For the Red Sox fans, life will never be the same. They will no longer have the certainly that their cause is hopeless, that the fates will conspire to destroy all hope, that their passion is not a disease of the soul. Can salvation for the Chicago Cubs be far off now?

© Copyright 2004 by The Kensington Review, J. Myhre, Editor. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent.

Home