Yankee fans bring signs to
The Stadium at the Bronx
that read simply “1918”.
But what happens if
the Red Sox win the
American League
and then the
World Series ?

Amaury Pi-GonzálezI was working as a
play by play announcer
the 1986 World Series
for the CBS Hispanic
Radio Network.
Yes, and I remember
when in that faitful
sixth game Mookie
Wilson hit a groundball
that just went under
firstbaseman Billy
Buckner. I remember
my partner was Juan
Vené, who is currently
a baseball writer in the
New York area. We both
looked at each other
(right after that play) and
we knew that the Red Sox
were destined to loose
again.

There is no doubt the
Red Sox have a tremendous
lineup and pitcher by
pitcher (except closers)
they are a better team
than the Yankees in
this 2004 ALCS.
However, the beauty
about baseball is that
the better teams do not
always win. Remember
the 1988 World Series
between the A’S and
Dodgers ? Even José
Feliciano could see
which was the better
team, yet the Dodgers
won it.

These Playoffs Series
are very much
unpredictable affairs
from day to day and
If I say here that
I picked the Yankees
in 6 games over
the Sox some
will call me crazy.

Something always
happens to the Red
Sox, game one it
looked like Curt Schilling
kept tying his shoe
laces, maybe to
reduce the pain he
was feeling. Will
Schilling be the
Schilling that won
20 games on his
next outing or would
he be the Schilling we
witnessed in Game One?

Pedro Martínez said
“The Yankees are my
Daddy”. This is a rare
admission(frustration)
that he makes his
best pitches but still
cannot beat the
Yankees. Prior to
Game Two,
Pedro’s lifetime
record against the
Yankees is 10-10,
so he is not like
Detroit’s Frank Larry
who was the Yankee
Killer. Yet, Joe Torre
said he respects
Pedro very much and
in a big park like
Yankee Stadium he
still a froce to be
dealt with…

But think for a moment:
If the Boston Red Sox
go all the way in 2004
and win the World Series
against St Louis or Houston,
what do their fans do next
season ? Their mystique
would be gone, they
will be just like every
other team.

In a way the Sox fans
are always awaiting for
“the play”that would
destroy their chances
to win anything, they
are not used to success
because they do not
know what that word
means. The word
success in the Sox
fans dictionary is
replaced by most
commonly known
words like;
Bambino,Dent,
Buckner,Boone…

For the Sox fans
game #2(the one that
Pedro will pitch) is
more important that
the Presidential Debate
-which is taking place
around the same time-
and which they have
one of their own New
Englander’s running
for the #1 job in the
country.

For those that are also
Politicat nuts think of
this: Houston vs
Boston in a World
Series, Texas vs
New England !
Bush vs Kerry !
You will see Bush !
at Minute Maid Park
sitting behind the
plate for every game
and Ted Kennedy
(and sometimes Kerry)
at Fenway Park for
some of the games.

But beofre I get ahead
to the World Series I
do agree with my
friend Marty that
it is for St Louis to
loose. St Louis is
the best team this
year in the National
League and if all the
stars are aligned they
might win it all.

But the Red Sox ?
I do not believe in
the Bambino Curse,
The Goat or the
Witches of Salem,
but I do believe
that something wrong
always happens to
the Boston Red
Sox and that is
why I am going to
stick to my guns
and pick the Yankees
again to win the
American League.

I think come Game One
of the World Series
it will be:
New York Yankees
vs.
St Louis Cardinals
The two most successful
franchises in World Series
history, Joe Torre against
Tony LaRussa and the
two most talented
lineups in all of baseball.
The Sox scored more runs
than the Yanks, true, but
the Sox have hitters like
Bellhorn that strike out
a lot. The Sox are an
extremely emotional team
that gets down much more
when they loose than the
Yankees. The Yankees
have been there, the
Sox have not, when it
comes to playing Playoff
caliber ball in October,
I respect the Red Sox,
but I think the Yankees
just play better.
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