Curse of the Bambino

Seventh and deciding game of the American League Chamionship series, 2003. The New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox are engaged in an epic battle in the Bronx. The scores are tied in the 11th innings. Aaron Boone, the Yankees' third baseman, swings at the very first pitch from veteran knuckleballer Tim Wakefield...and it's high and handsome over the left field for a home run! The Red Sox go down to the Yankees again...the curse continues to haunt them. Or so some people would like to think. Anyway, for the uninitiated, the curse we're talking about is the Curse of the Bambino - or George Herman Ruth, aka the Babe. Beantown folks believe that at the root of all their baseball miseries is the blunder of epic proportions, one of the worst in sports history - to trade Babe Ruth to the Yankees. That was in 1920 - after the Sox had won the World Series in 1918. That was the last time they ever won it. The Yankees have gone on to win 26 times since, in the process inflicting many painful defeats on their AL rivals. Even when the Yankees did not beat them, Red Sox somehow found a way to self destruct, most notably when Bill Buckner let one through his legs. Will this time be any different? - NK