THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK

There was a thing called the “Curse of the Bambino”. The Red Sox traded the Babe for cash in order to fund a play out of all things. Because of this the Red Sox didn’t win a world series since 1918 and the Yankees have won 26. BUT in this decade the tides have turned. Since the reverse of the curse the Sox have had the Yanks’ number. They have won two World Series and there continues to be ten year old Yankee fans that haven’t seen a title.

The 2009 season was a little more of the same. The Red Sox won the first 8 meetings of the season, rudely welcoming the Yankees into their new ball park. Since the all-star break however the Bombers are on a roll and clearing the way for an October run. The Red Sox have been more like the Dead Sox the second have of the year relinquishing their division lead to the pinstripes.

This weekend was the killer blow. The Yankees walked off with a sweep in a four game series with the Sox giving themselves a comfortable lead in the division. They have the Sox reeling now losing 6 straight games leaving them tied with the Texas Rangers for the AL Wild Card. With that said the Sox will still be relevant come playoff time as always. And as we have seen in recent years, once you’re in…anything can happen.

Don’t look now but the Dodgers have fallen and the Yanks now hold the league’s best record. This series with the Sox says a lot about this team, they overcame stellar pitching performances from Boston and came out on top. This team is built to win in the postseason with a high-octane offense, a great 1-2-3 punch on the mound and a solid bullpen. They may be the team to beat in the American League come October baseball. But let’s not crown them just yet, there is a lot of baseball to be played until we can go ring fitting for number 27.