Brittany Keefe

4/20/2017
Eng. 2710
A Folklore Collection

The Curse of being a Red Sox Fan

Baseball. Which is thought of as Americas past time. Something that

represents to people the American Dream. It can be reported that as early

as the 1830s types of bat-and-ball games that were the early stages of

baseball were seen around America. Now a days different sports have in

some opinion taken that beloved place. The American people want faster

pasted, violent games to occupy their time. Low and behold there are still a

few true baseball fans out there visiting one of these towns will prove that

to you. I have always been a Red Sox fan but now I can consider myself a

true fan after visiting the oldest MLB park.

Built in 1912, Fenway park is the home of the American League

baseball team known as the Boston Red Sox. Due to its age and renovations

there are several features that have a lot of meaning to Red Sox fans. These

include The Triangle, Peskys Pole, The Lone Red Seat and the Green

Monster which the left field wall. The Triangle is an area is in center field

where the walls form a triangle, the far corner is 420 feet from home plate.

One of the corners of The Triangle is considered to the Green Monster.

This left field wall is 37.167 feet tall, and made of hard green plastic. One of

the still older styles on the Green Monster is the scoreboard that is manually

updated through every game, it also has updates on current games and the
different sports teams in Boston. In the right field bleachers, you can find a

lone red seat. This red seat located in a sea of green is signifying the longest

home run ever hit at Fenway Park. That home run was hit by Ted Williams on

June 9,1946 and was originally measured at 502 feet. One other Red Sox

player has contended with this distance and that is none other than Babe

Ruth.

Babe Ruth is a name that has been loved and hated throughout Red

Sox history even to this day. A major folklore for Red Sox fans is considered

as the Curse of the Bambino. George Herman Babe Ruth was a pitcher for

the Red Sox during the 1918 World Series. He pitched 17 scoreless innings

during the World Series to help them win. The following year, the Red Sox

went from first to almost last, finishing in 6th in the American League. With

the Red Sox under new management and needing money, Babe Ruth was

sold to the New York Yankees for $100,000 as well as a $350,000 loan

totaling to a combined $450,000. After the sale of Babe Ruth, the Boston Red

Sox did not win another World Series for 85 years. This time span was

considered as The Curse of the Babe and later as The Curse of the Bambino,

which was finally broken when the Red Sox won the World Series in 2004.

What was an even bigger kicker being Babe Ruth became one of the most

prolific sluggers in the history of baseball and lead the New York Yankees to

win numerous World Series titles. When the Red Sox won the World Series in

2004 and broke the curse it was a dream come true. They overcame a 3-0

deficit against the New York Yankees, sweeping them and moving on to
completely sweep the St. Louis Cardinals in the World Series. Many fans

waited their entire lives to see the Red Sox win a World Series, and now

Reverse the Curse will never be chanted by the Red Sox loyal fans at

Fenway.

There are a few traditions that Red Sox continue to this day. One being

the theme song Sweet Caroline by Neil Diamond that is played in the 8th

inning. As a fan being across the country from my team and several others I

have spoken to (Dunn, 2017), hearing this song at an event or outing is our

way of connecting to our team. My question on my flight to Boston was, do

Red Sox feel the same way in Boston about this song? First, how did Sweet

Caroline become such a pastime? Many myths regarding the song surround

Ed Brickley a former announcer asking for it to be a tribute to his newborn

daughter. This just isnt the case. A woman named Amy Toby liked Sweet

Caroline and chose to play it during her time at Fenway during 1998-2004. At

first the song was only played during random games, only when the Red Sox

were winning and sometimes between the 7th or 9th inning. It was considered

to be a good luck charm, especially once the curse was broken in 2004, it

became a tradition. Now played at the bottom of the 8th inning during every

home game, you can feel the passion of fans as everyone stands, puts their

arms around each other and sings.

In a city with a major-league team in every sport. I was amazed at the

dedication to the Red Sox during the 4-game series I witnessed against the

Tampa Bay Rays. Everyone was decked out in Red Sox attire, the connected
streets surrounding Fenway were closed for food and events prior to the

game. The seats were filled and even though there were 2 different teams

playoff games going on that weekend, the crowd was packed. Not very many

people were on their phones, there was still a sense of pride and passion you

could feel as you walked around Fenway Park. Comparing to the visits I have

made to different ball parks such as the Colorado Rockies Coors Field. There

is something that isnt present when inside these parks, now is it the rich

history of just good baseball? Being the oldest park in history? Overcoming

an 85-year curse? That is something that I think a Red Sox fan can answer

very clearly, but one other teams fans cant quite understand. Go Red Sox!

Works Cited
Kensinger, Elizabeth A., and Daniel L. Schacter. "When the Red Sox shocked the Yankees: Comparing

negative and positive memories." Psychonomic Bulletin & Review 13.5 (2006): 757-763.

Stout, Glenn, and Dick Johnson. Red sox century: One hundred years of red sox baseball. Houghton

Mifflin Harcourt, 2000.

Golenbock, Peter. Fenway: An Unexpurgated History of the Boston Red Sox. Covered Bridge Press,

1997.

"Red Sox Interview." Personal interview. 19 Apr. 2017.