According to David Farrell's father and all of Red Sox Nation, the trade of Babe Ruth
to the New York Yankees in 1920 resulted in the Boston Red Sox falling under a curse that
has persisted for 83 years, but just may dissipate before the season is over. If only
David's Dad, a fervent fan in front of a TV set, gets it just right!
First the Curse of the Bambino:
David's father brought his son up with a deep respect for the curse. Here's David's
rendition (one that perhaps all Boston sons could recite):
- Sept. 11, 1918: Boston wins the World Series. Star left-handed pitcher Babe Ruth is responsible for Game 1 and 4 wins. This was the last Red Sox championship.
- December, 1920: Babe Ruth was sold to the New York Yankees for $125,000 by Red Sox owner Harry Frazee. Frazee used the cash to fund a broadway play "No, No Nannette." The NY Yankees have since had 26 World Series victories while the Boston Red Sox have won zero.
- 1921-1922: In these next two years Ruth hits 109 home runs. More than the season total of many of baseball's entire teams.
- 1923: New York wins its first World Series with Ruth.
- 1932: Red Sox lose 111 games, and finish last, in 7 of the next 9 years.
- Ruth hit a total of 688 home runs for the Yankees.
The curse has reared its ugly head over and over throughout the history of the jinxed
Red Sox. For example:
- Early in the summer of 1978, the Red Sox held a 14-game lead on the Yankees only to lose the entire lead which left the teams tied after 162 games. The one game playoff was going well for the Red Sox until, with a 2-0 lead in the seventh, pint size Yankee shortstop Bucky (bleeping) Dent, who had only 4 home runs for the season, hits a little fly ball over the left field wall for a 3 run homer. The Yankees win the game and later their 22nd championship title.
- With the Red Sox on the verge of winning the 1986 World Series, Bill Buckner blows the lead in the 10th inning when he lets Mookie Wilson's weak groundball slip through his legs.
- In the 7th game of the 1967 World Series, star Red Sox shortstop Johnny Pesky hesitates on his throw home and Enos Slaughter scores from first base on a single to center field leading to a heartbreaking loss.
- The curse continues through last year (2003) when the Red Sox had a 5 to 2 lead on the Yankees in the 7th game of the American League Championship Series. Red Sox manager Grady (bleeping) Little leaves Sox pitcher Pedro Martinez in too long. With only five outs to a Sox win, the Yanks tie it. Then, in the 10th inning, Yankee Aaron Boone slugs a game-winning homer and the Red Sox fans are heartbroken again.
And now the Magic!
David Farrell's sincere optimist dad says, "Don't despair!"
Dan Shaughnessy wrote The Curse of the Bambino, a book documenting this dark
shadow over Boston.
David Farrell relays the magic:
"This book lies reverently on my father's TV. When there's a Red Sox winning streak, no
one is allowed to touch the book, because it could turn off the magic.
If the Red Sox are losing, Dad will slightly adjust the book, the slightest nudge to
the left or right, thereby altering the demons that hover over the Red Sox Nation."
And it may work! While the Yankees hold a 7 game lead on the Red Sox today. The Sox
took two out of three games last weekend after David's dad altered the location of the
book. BELIEVE!
David Farrell started as a CNA in order to earn extra money in college. He fell in
love with the residents but felt uneasy with the organizational culture in nursing homes.
He couldn't pinpoint what it was, but decided at a young age to become an Administrator
to address it. He worked as an Administrator for 15 years, before developing a program
that resulted in his being recruited to the California QIO. Deeply committed to enhancing
Quality of Life for people who live and work in nursing homes, David joined
Wellspring as CEO before moving on to become
Project Manager at the Rhode Island QIO.
What a fun way to capture a story! David and I decided to meet half-way between his
office and mine, and it happened to be a cornfield in Wisconsin. David's new habitat may
be a slight change from the San Francisco area! We were going to take the picture in front
of a herd of cows, but first we had to meet over a pint of Guinness in the bar in front of
the cornfield (almost every cornfield in Wisconsin comes with a tavern). By the time our
meeting was over, the cows had moved! So here's the cornfield.
