Dan, check out Bill Simmons' column on ESPN.com (page 2) from today. You'll get it too. I printed it up to help my girlfriend understand what it's like.

Wept twice tonight.

A good omen for November 2nd? Yes, indeed. Only five more days of George W Bush. The Red Sox aren't the only ones ridding themselves of a curse. So are the American people.

To George: May the door hit you on the way out.

4+4=(-1918)! Enjoy the moment, and it's a little payback for 1982 to a Brewer fan.

You forgot the new reverence for eclipses which will replace curse-fear as the opium of New England's masses.

You're missing the very best part of this!

The Universal Law of Karma

Only one group of Boston idiots gets to win the big one in any given year.

Thus, JF Kerry will have to postpone his inauguration for another, oh, 86 years. Now THAT rocks!

Momentum is building in Boston.

Crawford's building Joe-mentum.

Sorry John -- the Patriots are already there, so that's two groups of idiots and counting . . . and I hope to help group number three next Tuesday.

You baseball freaks are WEIRD ;-)

Saw a baseball cap with the "B" backwards yesterday -- "reverse the curse".

Dan,

We increasingly disagree, but you and I have always believed!! Peace, bro.

Kelli

Cool, I finally get my sports ticker back. At least until spring training starts in two weeks.

OK, I guess I should admit it; I've never been too fond of the Red Sox. And I've found myself particularly detached from them after the antics of their fans the other night.

However, I will also admit to being somewhat torn on this point, given that my favorite team is whoever happens to be kicking the living snot out of the Yankees at the moment.

The interesting thing about it, the ironic part, is that the BoSox Opening day of 2005, will be against the Yankees. Which of course, means that it'll be that Yankee team that'll be watching the World Series Champ flag being flown for the first time.

So, while I am not overly happy with the series outcome, I can live with it.

Bithead, don't let the jackassery of a few turn you off to the group. Anyone who follows college sports knows this happens in just about every national title-winning college town (I was in CT when the state police had to fire tear gas at UConn after their national title, but recently, it's happened at Michigan State, and at various college football statiums around the country--everyone but those Duke prisses). The fact of the matter is, it's a few drunk idiots who don't really like or respect the team (or the event, as I've also seen riots in the parking lot at Dave Matthews concerts by idiots who don't even have tickets for the show, they just come to drink and be asses). True fans look at these idiots with disgust, and everyone should understand that they are in no way representative of the fan base as a whole. Except Yankees fans.

The problem is not the fans--it's the lack of imagination of local officials. You know there are gonna be tens of thousands of hyped up (normally law-abiding) people streaming into the streets. What do you do? Sure, the riot police. Good mix.

How about instead having something for them to DO? Suggestions: a blocklong "thank you" card for people to sign, decorate, etc.; trampolines; effigies of Yankees to tear up, burn, throw stuff at (a la Guy Fawkes); have a race around Fenway; let people vent their joy--give them megaphones, ask em about their wackiest Red Sox moment/superstition/good luck charm. Doesn't anybody have young kids out there? Channel that energy! Don't just confront.

Menino should have been out there himself, giving away hotdogs and pennants. Aren't there any smart pols left in Boston?

Hmmm... The Red Sox have won more World Series in the past four years than have the Yankees. Maybe New York is cursed!

Well, one question I asked after the seperate LCS's were over, is, why Boston, and not StL?

I get the impression there'sa lot of people who aren't asking that question because htey're not overly interested in the answer. far easier, one supposes to blame the cops.

OMG - I linked here from Instapunndit.

What IS the world coming to? ;)

Hmmm. Oh yeah, Instapunndit is cursed.
OK, I'll just return to sticking railroad spikes into my John Kerry doll.

You forget the ECLIPSE.

Clearly, we are at the mercy of unseen forces and their diabolical plans.

Sure, this curse was phony. The real one involves a goat and the year 1908.

Fast forward a week or so: In the electoral upset of the season, George W. Bush carries Massachusetts!! After lugging around the superstition of a curse for a few decades, the voters have spoken with one voice "George W. Bush has broken the Bambino's Curse."

Bush's strengthening support in Kerry's home state can be traced back to a Schilling appearance on Good Morning America.

Beltranman,

Are you talking about an actual appearance or predicting one? Personally, I'm waiting for the photo of Bush praying with Schilling in the White House (with mixed feelings, I might add). Then there's Foulke with the American flag incident earlier this year. If the Sox heroes endorse Bush, you're definitely onto something.

The bloody sock can do no wrong.

Yah for the Sox from Tennessee! And yah for the Prez! Both onto victory!

There is a profound difference between the Patriots and Red Sox, and candidate Kerry.
The athletic teams are hardworking, bright, talented, capable of teamwork, and capable of inspiring fans outside of New England.
Kerry is an effete poseur who is mostly on vacation (e.g., missed almost all hearings of his Senate Intelligence Committee), not that bright (only BC Law School after Yale), disses our best allies, can't work with his fellow Senators (only six bills passed in 20 years), is opposed by foreign leaders not-on-the-take, and is an isolationist in both domestic and international matters.

1) Schilling urged everyone to vote for Bush on Good Morning America. I wonder how that will go down in Beantown?

2) As a Yankee fan (and the sibling of Red Sox fans), I'm glad the curse is over. At this point, I think it had become more of a burden on the Yankees than the Red Sox. Look at the ALCS: which team was loose and having fun, and which team was uptight? which team had nothing to lose and which team had an ancient burden to carry? Next year, it will just be baseball and that's fine with me.

Newsflash: Schilling will appear live tomorrow with Dubya in New Hampshire. DBL, you'll soon have the answer to your question.

The real question is whether churches all across New England will be packed on Sunday, as fans make good on their promise to return IF ONLY God let the Sox win for once. Those are probably the men and women who'll take a campaigning cue from CS.

Oh, by the way, there were no current Red Sox players who signed the letter last week from current and former athletes supporting Bush. The closest thing was Todd Walker, who WOULD be starting 2B for the Cubs if Dusty Baker knew how to manage a team. But that's for another day.