Yanks fend off new stadium 'curse'

April 13, 2008

"NEW YORK (AP) -- A construction worker's bid to curse the New York Yankees by planting a Boston Red Sox jersey in their new stadium was foiled Sunday when the home team removed the offending shirt from its burial spot.

After locating the shirt in a service corridor behind what will be a restaurant in the new Yankee Stadium, construction workers jackhammered through the concrete Sunday and pulled it out..."

(http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/baseball/mlb/04/13/curse.foiled.ap/index.html)

Christie Anna says: Lame! Had to post the follow-up and voice my displeasure. I liked it better when they brought in the witch. Really, it would have been marvelous to have that legacy at the new stadium. And wouldn't it have been a great scapegoat for when the Yankees implode from now on? The Sox always had Babe Ruth, and it certainly made the fans feel better (well, sort of). Now what are they going to blame? However, perhaps there's a bright side: my dad has theorized that the Sox fan in question inadvertently buried David "Big Papi" Ortiz's batting average in concrete along with his jersey, since Ortiz has been in a noticeable slump of late and did just get a hit in his first at-bat since the shirt was unearthed. So perhaps the Yankees just spent massive amounts of time and money to re-enable their biggest enemy's top slugger. I'm not much of an Ortiz fan, but even I like the irony. Now, Papi, keep up the good work so we can make the Yankees doubt their move. Self-doubt is the fastest way to decimate a team, so that could certainly make it a fun season. And as for the jersey itself, I think it's fantastic that the Jimmy Fund will be auctioning it off. Now, perhaps the new owner will find a way to smuggle it back into the stadium...?