Meaning

It wasn't meant to be for the 2004 Yankees. Oh well.

However, there are two things that bother me more than the Yankees loss. One is non-Sox fans, or rather, non-baseball fans, that feel the need to go on and on about rooting for the Sox to me during games in which the Yankees are losing. Now, I could see if I were a person who taunted others when the Yankees were winning, but I don't make a practice of doing that. And it would be different if it were coming from a Sox fan. For people, especially those who usually have no interest in baseball, to jump in as bandwagon haters drives me crazy. I understand why a lot of people dislike the Yankees; it's not irrational. But for people who could normally care less about baseball to start the trash-talking makes me crazy.

Second, I don't know what's wrong with so many Americans, but the curse has not been lifted! The curse is not over because the Sox beat the Yankees - if that were the curse, it wouldn't be around now. The curse of the Bambino is about the World Series, not the ALCS. It means that since they traded away Babe, they haven't won a world title. So, for all those people who think the curse is gone, where the heck are you getting your historical basis from?

ESPN.com is not helping. The first question on their poll is, "Has the Curse been lifted?" Why are you even giving people a choice when the curse is about the World Series, which ... the Red Sox have not yet won.

While 64.7% of the people who took the poll (at the time I did) were aware enough to say, "No, it's not over until they win the World Series," a whopping 35.3% said the curse was over because the Sox beat the Yankees in the postseason.

Call me incredulous. Don't believe me and think the curse is really broken? Would you believe Wikipedia instead?

I'm rooting for the Astros or the Cards, whoever ends up in there. And it's not just anyone-but-Sox fandom. Jason Marquis (pitcher for the Cards) went to my high school during part of the time I was there (a big part of our city championship teams), and it would be great to see him get a ring. And then there's the fact that I like a lot of guys on the Astros, and they have lots of B's. ;-) And I want to see Roger pummel the Sox. Haha. I wasn't even a big Roger fan when he was with the Yankees, but I do want to see that match-up. Either team really is okay by me since I have reasons to like both (and don't hate either).

Anyway, on Saturday... go N.L.!