Posted by
The Hermit Crab on Wednesday, November 04, 2009 10:57:48 PM
The New York Yankees apparently are finishing off the Philadelphia Phillies to win the World Series. Normally this would interest me very little, as I am one of those recalcitrant fans who never forgave baseball for cancelling the Series in 1994. When that happened, the little boy in me died. The steroid scandals and the resulting destruction of the credibility of so many baseball records have made it east to stay away from the game I once loved. I do miss listening to Tim McCarver on the post-season broadcasts, who is so insightful on virtually all aspects of playing the game.
In most circumstances I root against the Yankees, though, since I believe that anything that makes George Steinbrenner unhappy is good. This year is different, though, partly because I don't like and have never liked the Phillies, and because a Yankee win cements the Curse of Hillary.
In the year 2000, the Yankees won their third consecutive World Series, and fourth in five years. In fact, they had only lost one game in the three series. That fall, however, the once-proud state of New York elected a carpetbagging, corrupt presidential spouse as their Senator. HIllary Clinton was the state's junior senator for 8 years, from 2001 to 2008. The Yankees lost the World Series (albeit in thrilling fashion) to the Arizona Diamondbacks that year, would lose to the Florida Marlins two years later, and then would not even make the Series in the years 2004-8. The Bronxian Dark Ages had returned (hat tip to Roger Angell for that wonderful phrase).
This year Hillary returned to Washington, and the Yankees returned to the World Series, and apparently to the winner's circle, as well. This set me to thinking a bit more about the curse. First she lived in a suburb of Chicago, Il, where she grew up. Despite the fact that Chicago has two major league teams, the Cubs and the White Sox, neither team won a Series as long as HC lived there. It is worth noting that the White Sox, freed of the curse, won a World Series after she left.
The Arkansas years don't count, of course, since Arkansas doesn't have a major league team. I did notice that no-one tried to move one there. Baseball team owners didn't get rich by being stupid.
Then came the eight years as New York's junior embarrassment (of course, Chuck Schumer was and remains the senior), and again the Curse was adequate to keep two big-spending and highly-touted teams, the Yankees and the Mets, out of the winner's circle for all eight seasons.
Now the Curse has relocated, and moved to Washington, and Washington, of course, has the Senators. I suggest they move the franchise -- perhaps to Arkansas?