Boston Red Sox 86 their curse

October 27, 2004 8:52 PM

World (er... MLB) Champions once more. The last time the Boston Red Sox lost was in the 86 World Series. The last time they won was 86 Years Ago, when they beat the Chicago Cubs in the 1918 World Series. (The Cubs finished that season with 86 wins.) This year, after retiring the Anaheim Angels 8-6, they lost three straight to the New York Yankees in the ALCS and seemed to be on the verge of failing once again. Eight straight wins later, they finally manage to eighty-six the Curse of the Bambino.
posted by Mr Stickfigure (43 comments total)

"World (er... MLB) Champions once more"

Why must people editorialize in their FPP?


GO SOX!
posted by Steve_at_Linnwood at 8:58 PM on October 27, 2004

YES!
YES!
YES!
Someone who knows what the term "86" means!

For those of you NOT in the 'know', 86 is a term used in restaurants, meaning out-dated, it needs to be tossed.
posted by kamylyon at 9:39 PM on October 27, 2004

congrats to the Sox. I'll post in this one for giving me more than a link to a box score.

I have to say, there was a moment in the bottom of the ninth with Pujols on base and the tying runner on deck that I didn't think the Sox were going to make it this year.

So, do I have to hate the Sox now that they're just another big market, high payroll team that just wins all the time?
posted by graventy at 9:39 PM on October 27, 2004

And the Sox are no longer 86'rs
posted by kamylyon at 9:39 PM on October 27, 2004

Ye-fucking-s!
posted by Civil_Disobedient at 9:44 PM on October 27, 2004

!
posted by drezdn at 9:45 PM on October 27, 2004

posted by xmutex at 9:47 PM on October 27, 2004

Deep from the heart of Providence, RI - Fuck the Yankees!!

Go Red Sox!!! - 2004 World Champs...

I, for one, can't wait for the parade.... or the riots. I'll be in Boston on friday, with the other six million or so people expected to show up.
posted by SweetJesus at 9:48 PM on October 27, 2004

Typing from downtown Providence as well, where the screaming has finally begun to subside.

What a great team and a great postseason. Congrats to the Sox. The Globe has it right.

Cubs in '05. Steve Bartman will only need suffer for two years, compared to Buckner's 18.
posted by PrinceValium at 9:58 PM on October 27, 2004

GO SOX!

I don't think I have anything more to say.
posted by uncleozzy at 10:00 PM on October 27, 2004

The underdog 140 million dollar team triumphed over all odds!

(baseball is dead. and we have killed it.)

Seriously, though, congratulations to the suffering fans and your ten-year-old GM. I hope nobody gets killed this time.
posted by The God Complex at 10:01 PM on October 27, 2004

Patriots rule football, Sox rule baseball, and Massachusetts has very close to the lowest divorce rate in the US.

I suppose breast beating displays about faith aren't especially good indicators of team spirit or marital fidelity.
posted by troutfishing at 12:05 AM on October 28, 2004

World Champions, my ass. (Just to start a flame war..)

There was a similar situation in England a few years back: Leicestershire were cricket champions, Leicester Tigers were rugby union champions, and Leicester City won the League Cup.

I don't know of the divorce rate in Leicester though.
posted by salmacis at 1:24 AM on October 28, 2004

The last time the Boston Red Sox lost was in the 86 World Series.

?
posted by Vidiot at 1:25 AM on October 28, 2004

"World Series" I can live with. "World Champions" is just bull.

That said...


YAY GO SOX
posted by Pretty_Generic at 2:30 AM on October 28, 2004

I always thought the term world series was due to the world newspaper sponsoring the early games, but when I looked for a link I found out that I'm wrong. Well there you go, metafilter, you learn something every day.
posted by ciderwoman at 4:05 AM on October 28, 2004

So, after a couple of days of rioting celebration, how long do we go before baseball season starts up and the sports nuts here in the office start talking about it again?
posted by Irontom at 4:38 AM on October 28, 2004

Guess it'll be pretty quiet around my office today, since everyone will either be at the parade or home nursing a hangover.
posted by briank at 4:45 AM on October 28, 2004

how long do we go before baseball season starts up and the sports nuts here in the office start talking about it again?

Pitchers and catcher report sometime in February, but there should be a solid Hot Stove league this year. It's never felt so good to be average (when you move from the Cursed column, anyway).
posted by yerfatma at 5:10 AM on October 28, 2004

Woke up the kids in the eighth, brought them down to see history (fully aware of the risks), we jumped and screamed and the dog barked like mad. Good times.
posted by stupidsexyFlanders at 5:31 AM on October 28, 2004

Last night was amazing. Seriously, I can't describe it.

My wife works near Fenway park. We had to drive ALL THE WAY AROUND the entire area just to get her into work today. Unreal.

Curt Schilling is now on the level of Bird, Orr and Brady. He came here to do it, and did it. And 24 other players and countless other people all had a huge hand as well.

And, hey, no one got killed last night. w00t.
posted by andreaazure at 6:01 AM on October 28, 2004

Props to the St. Louis fans at Busch Stadium for giving the Sox the applause they deserved.
posted by zsazsa at 6:31 AM on October 28, 2004

(Here's an email that I wrote to my family around 2am this morning. As with all things written at 2am after a championship of any kind, there might be some typos and such, but I'm not going to go through and edit now...)

--NMRN

------------------------

Yeah, down by the river
Down by the banks of the river Charles (aw, that's what's happenin' baby)
That's where you'll find me
Along with lovers, fuggers, and thieves (aw, but they're cool people)
Well I love that dirty water
Oh, Boston, you're my home (oh, you're the Number One place)

--“Love That Dirty Water” by the Standells


At 11:30pm on Wednesday, October 27, 2004, baseball fans around the world became temporary residents of Boston, Massachusetts. The Boston Red Sox, a team that hadn’t seen a World Series victory in nearly 90 years; who, over the past season, in the words of Stephen King, “had become America’s team,” had done three impossible things in a row: They defeated the NY Yankees in the ALCS, they came back from a 0-3 standing to do so, and they had entered into a winning streak that would take them to a 4-0 finish in the World Series against the St. Louis Cardinals.

For once, the Bums were no longer a pinstriped brick wall standing between us and the victory that we so rightly deserved, and we got to where we are in the most American way possible: We earned it. From Schilling’s bleeding on the mound, to Johnny Damon’s impersonation of Jesus, to the fantastic hitting of Pedro and others, the 2004 Red Sox team was one that was willing to break their backs to have a shot at earning the title of Champion.

Being the pseudo-Amish person that I am and not having TV in my apartment, I found myself standing outside in Cambridge watching the game on a television in a store window. I wasn’t alone, and those that joined me represented a cross section of America: homeless in tattered clothing, college students, working class men and women, and a handful of wealthy individuals just looking for a change of pace for watching the game. This night, none of us would go home disappointed. By the time we entered into the ninth inning, with a commanding 3-0 lead, the crowd had grown to almost a hundred people. Everyone started chanting, “Three more outs… three more outs…” as the Cardinals came to bat. We would all agonize over the small hits, the single base advances, and the ball that seemed to go exactly through the legs of the pitcher. But as the last man came to bat, and hit an easy to field, quick out, our small group yelled out, celebrating the victory that generations before us hadn’t been able to celebrate.

This wasn’t to be another year of close, but not close enough. This wasn’t another year of running hard, but not finishing the race. The Red Sox had done the impossible. We were the World Series Champions.

Moments later, all of Boston seemed to erupt. Cheering and yelling could be heard breakout out all over, and people started coming out of the woodwork. More people than you could possibly imagine, all joining in celebrating a victory that two weeks ago seemed so far away.

The man next to me just keep repeating, “I can’t believe we did it… I can’t believe we did it,” over and over and over again. The look of joy and the look of shock were on everyone’s faces, and it was without argument a beautiful look.

In only a matter of moments, Harvard Square had filled up with more people than I have ever seen in one place before in my life. I am not exaggerating to say that I could not see where the crowds ended; people were climbing everything in sight, and it was the happiest madness that I have ever experienced. The Cambridge Police Department, with their riot gear at their side, but the memory of a celebrating college student who was killed fresh in their minds, stood back and out of the way, letting the people enjoy the moment. When they did need to restrain someone, it was for as little a period of time as possible, and with a polite and sincere apology following.

(For reasons I don’t need to get into here, I speak from first-hand experience on this!)

If there was something that was climbable, people were on it. Groups were dancing in the streets, and everyone was hugging the strangers around them. The Harvard band took to the top of the Harvard Square T Station and started playing songs, and everyone started singing to them.

It was a merry madness that, two hours after it started, was still getting stronger. People from all age groups and all walks of life had found a reason to come together tonight to celebrate a victory that everyone wanted to see happen. In a year of political fighting, heated debates on military action and personal rights, and a growing divide in America, a week before America will decide if a native son will rule for the next four years, people who have nothing in common came together to realize that they have everything in common. That those with whom they disagree on some issues are no different than they are, and that everyone can find joy in the success of a team that has, for so long, gotten close to the win, but not close enough.

It’s now nearing in on 2am and I can still hear the crowds nearly a half mile away. The cars honking their horns has (mercifully!) stopped around here, but there still seems to be an electricity in the air that I don’t think will die down any time soon.

I can’t seem but to wonder how many in St. Louis, deep down inside, felt a little bit of joy at watching the Sox rush the field tonight. That, even in knowing that the Cardinals had their chance and couldn’t run with it, that maybe, just maybe, the Sox deserved this one. That perhaps, just this once, it was okay to admit that it wouldn’t be the end of the world if the Cardinals didn’t come back to win the Series.

Tonight, the Boston Red Sox won the World Series, and all of America got to watch their home town boys win.
posted by NotMyselfRightNow at 6:31 AM on October 28, 2004

Well said, NotMyselfRightNow. Davis Square was likewise packed, but nowhere near the level of Harvard (which must have been small next to the madness at Kenmore!)

At that last out, I had nightmare visions of the ball sailing past first and into the stands. Glad I was wrong! The rabbits are likewise glad that they don't have to wear that helmet anymore.

Oh, and I owe booradley from #mefi 78 cents.
posted by robocop is bleeding at 6:43 AM on October 28, 2004

I'm like 20 blocks from yankee stadium, and there was yelling for 1/2 hour here too.
posted by goneill at 6:57 AM on October 28, 2004

Here's the part I don't get. Never have, and probably never will.

“I can’t believe we did it… I can’t believe we did it” The whole point is this: WE didn't do it. WE didn't do anything. THEY (the team) did it all. I just cannot comprehend the level of energy, time and attention people spend on watching talented athletes do their thing, and then talk about the result as if they had some part in it.

It's entertainment, and I enjoy it some. But it's not like I go around talking about how WE won an Oscar when Peter Jackson walked up and accepted the awards for the work he did on the movies I enjoyed so much.

Like I said, I don't get it, and I probably never will.
posted by Irontom at 7:07 AM on October 28, 2004

I was at an establishment in the East Village last night, and the party spiled out into the street and went all night there too.

Yankee hatred and Sox love represented large everywhere people cared about baseball, it seems.



But that said.

This is the worst thing that could have happened to Red Sox Nation. Now, instead of being the What-do-we-gotta-do-to-win team they're just another big-market big-budget overpay overpriced team that's driving player salaries and fan costs through the roof. There's nothing in the way of the Sox being seen as part of the problem now. It sucks not being the underdog anymore, and the Red Sox are going to find that out.

But seriously, congratulations, ya wickid pissahs. I think, like, say, the NY Rangers, you're going to be one-and-out, but still. Good on youse.
posted by chicobangs at 7:15 AM on October 28, 2004

I just cannot comprehend the level of energy, time and attention people spend on watching talented athletes do their thing, and then talk about the result as if they had some part in it.

I agree with your general point, Irontom. I hate when people say "We". But sports is different from other forms of entertainment--especially in a city like Boston. The support of the fans actually does make a difference. A big difference, according to the players themselves.

I don't think "we" did it. But we experienced it with them, and without us, they really might not have won.
posted by jpoulos at 7:16 AM on October 28, 2004

Hmm. Do curses have a shelf life? Seems to me that by winning it is an indication that there was no curse. I am not inclined to believe in curses in general, but this was always a fun one to believe in. Sad to see that we were all wrong: there was no curse... the Red Sox just sucked for close to a century.
posted by Seth at 7:16 AM on October 28, 2004

This is the worst thing that could have happened to Red Sox Nation.

This came up yesterday and it's simply not true. It's the worst thing that could happen to the cottage industry around the Curse and the Sox as Loveable Losers. It's not going to ruin the Sox for their fans.

We survived.
posted by yerfatma at 7:19 AM on October 28, 2004

A big-market, east coast team with a wonder-boy GM, payroll well-north of $100 million, stocked with mouthy free-agents and an obnoxious fan base wins the WS? Congrats Yanke.....what? Oh.
posted by jalexei at 7:24 AM on October 28, 2004

Wow, I didn't think there would be snarks in this comment thread but yep, there's always someone who wants to piss on the fun.

Congrats to the Sox! It was an amazing series, it was an amazing win and I was privileged to see it.

Now we just need another big win next week and we'll be all set.
posted by fenriq at 7:37 AM on October 28, 2004

Hmm. Do curses have a shelf life?

Um, lemme guess. 86 years?
posted by grateful at 7:48 AM on October 28, 2004

Wow, I didn't think there would be snarks in this comment thread but yep, there's always someone who wants to piss on the fun.

Hello? Are you drunk?

But seriously, I am happy (living in Boston) for my many friends and coworkers who are experiencing Christmas/Hanakah/Ramadan, their birthdays, and the last day of school all wrapped up in one.

Doesn't mean I'm going to sit idly by, however, as 11 years of living in the Nation has taught me well (I can't wait to yell "Red Sox Suck!" when the Yanks are playing the Royals. That'll be fun! Or will it be the joy of my first "Ortiz Sucks, Gay-mon Swallows" t-shirt? The possibilites are endless...)
posted by jalexei at 7:57 AM on October 28, 2004

I guess it takes a blood moon during the Series to break a curse?

In other news, Bill Buckner was seen in daylight again, squinting at the unaccustomed brightness...
posted by alumshubby at 8:05 AM on October 28, 2004

Okay, that does it.

Go Cubs!
posted by Vidiot at 8:08 AM on October 28, 2004

As I'd heard it told, the curse of the Bambino was supposed to be a 100 year curse. The Sox beat it with 14 years to spare - and with the team falling apart now with so much of the notable talent leaving, this year was their last serious chance to break the curse before the time limit expired.
posted by Ryvar at 9:04 AM on October 28, 2004

Clearly the Bambino curse didn't account for wild and inappropriate spending and a competitive imbalance. It's not hard to win in a ten-team league ;)
posted by The God Complex at 11:51 AM on October 28, 2004

It is when your main competition has the 1st largest payroll in baseball (yes, we're 2nd, I realize that).
posted by Civil_Disobedient at 12:15 PM on October 28, 2004

Noticed this on Boston.com: 'Patriots' 2002 Super Bowl win -- the first Boston pro sports title since 1986.' Maybe it's just a lucky number around here...
posted by of strange foe at 1:21 PM on October 28, 2004

More fun with numbers:

Previous WS win: 1918.
Previous WS trip: 1986
Years since then: 18.

Scary.
posted by andreaazure at 2:58 PM on October 28, 2004

There are 19 years between the 1967 and 1986 World Series trips and then 18 between 1986 and 2004.

That's weird fun with numbers.

But as a Sox fan, it feels real good. The smarmy comments can't erase this giant grin on my face.
posted by jerseygirl at 3:52 PM on October 28, 2004

Real fun with numbers (already pointed out somewhere else in the internets, but still): the final score for the last game the Yankees won (game 3 of the ACLS): 19-8. Turn the dash sideways: 19|8.

Now that's some scary shit right there.
posted by Civil_Disobedient at 9:51 PM on October 28, 2004