The Curse of the Bambino is over.
With the 3-0 win Wednesday in St. Louis, Red Sox fans cheered, cried and proved the curse would be cut off after 86 long years.
The only thing that would've made it sweeter was if, somehow, the Sox could play the Yankees in the World Series. But their comeback victory against New York was pretty good, too.
This historical event didn't come without a price, though.
Some of the occurrences, good and bad, that got us here:
Curt Schilling pitched in the ALCS Game 6 with his right ankle held together by sutures -- and won. His was a truly red sock.
Alex Rodriguez was called out in Game 6 for knocking the ball from Red Sox pitcher Bronson Arroyo, who was trying to tag him out as Rodriguez ran to first base. Then Rodriguez claimed his arms were just swinging naturally. What's the story, A-Rod? You learn that move from the muggers on the subway? Anyway, right after that...
Police officers had to take the field at Yankee Stadium after fans threw objects (including baseballs) onto the field. Some were in riot gear. The police, that is, not the fans. Although that may have been a good idea. Because later...
A 21-year-old girl was killed in riots after Game 7 when a police officer shot her in the eye with a pepper-spray pellet gun. So much for less-than-lethal force.
The Red Sox, trailing to the Yankees, came back to win the series, becoming the first major league team to overcome a 3-0 postseason series deficit. Some of us State Pressers were glad to see that constant smirk wiped off Derek Jeter's face.
Now the Red Sox have swept the Cardinals and broken the curse. America's favorite underdog is now America's team. Although, we Arizonans can certainly sympathize with the Cardinals. We know what it's like to play during an emotional time. In 2001, the Yankees became a symbol for "not letting the terrorists win."
Ha ha, guess we showed them. Sigh.
Even amid all this celebration and talk of curses, the future appears somewhat bleak. Without a curse to whine about, how are the Red Sox going to explain away every lost pennant? The curse-ologists will move on to better curses, like the witch-with-a-goat curse on the Cubs, and the Red Sox won't have anything to look forward to.
Well don't fret. The State Press has its own curse.
We haven't won a World Series in more than 150 years, ever since we traded one of our best reporters to the Daily Wildcat.
And that reporter grew up to be Walter Cronkite.
Or not.
Nobody believes in those curses, anyway.
