How Did the Red Sox Curse Strike Again
The 2004 Red Sox were baseball'due south version of "America'south Team." They took the city of Boston on a magical run as a group of scrappy players pulled together and ended an 86 year title drought for the Sox.
Their Earth Serial win* was one that not only inspired a city, only also a nation, every bit many teams thought to themselves "If the Ruby Sox can exercise information technology, everyone tin can."
That team was cracking for baseball, and even brought usa great pieces of cinema, such as "Fever Pitch."
The heart of the lineup consisted of Manny Ramirez and David "Big Papi' Ortiz. Manny was Manny, and Big Papi was the lovable large guy who brought enormous amounts of power.
They were the well-nigh pivotal parts to the Cerise Sox becoming World Serial Champions*. Ortiz hitting a walk-off in Game Four of the ALDS to give the Red Sox a sweep and send them to face the evil empire, the New York Yankees.
The Red Sox fell behind 0-3 after the get-go three games of the ALCS, and it seemed the Yankees were either destined to sweet their long-time rival, or at least declension to an easy win.
Big Papi, however, had different ideas. He hit a walk-off home run to win Game Iv in dramatic way, his second walk-off two-run home run in extra innings in a fourth game of a series that postseason (I tin can brand crazy long stats like that likewise).
The Cherry-red Sox rallied effectually that dramatic victory and came out the adjacent night energized, and ready for another round with the Yanks. This game went extras besides, and David Ortiz got some other walk-off hitting, this 1 a single that brought in Johnny Damon and give the Cherry Sox another walk-off win.
The Red Sox coasted through the rest of the series, never needing to get to extras once again, and becoming the first team to win 4 games while facing elimination in the same series.
David Ortiz won the ALCS MVP* thank you to his heroics in Games Four and Five. The Red Sox were set up to finally make their way back to a World Serial, and it seemed they could do no wrong.
The World Series didn't produce the unmarried-game excitement that the ALCS provided, but information technology had drama like no other World Series match-upwardly could produce, as the Red Sox were on a mission to finish The Curse of the Babe.
They swept St. Louis Cardinals on their way to catastrophe the 86-year drought, and Manny Ramirez won the World Series MVP*.
Still, Big Pappy and Manny also had a MLB first that nobody knew about until today.
They were the outset duo to win an ALCS and World Serial MVP while batting in the heart of an social club and taking steroids.
That's correct, the LA Times are reporting today that both Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz tested positive in 2003 when every thespian was tested confidentially to see if testing was needed.
Although we all dear to recall that Manny and Papi ended The Babe's curse the same mode that the Baby played—eating hot dogs and drinking beer—merely there was a college power (BALCO?) at work hither.
I am by no means a Cherry Sox fan, nor practice I have anything against the team (I won't blame them for "Fever Pitch"). Withal, I am a baseball purist, and when I see big names that have used steroids, I am ready to become out the pitch forks and torches.
However, I am shocked that Big Papi of all people is able to accept steroids, every bit he has been very vocal confronting steroids, and even came out as saying that he was shocked that Manny had been taking steroids.
When asked about his steroids use, he had this to say, "I'm not talking about that anymore. I take no comment." As if he had comented about him using steroids in the by.
However, Ortiz's friend Tori Hunter did speak out about the news.
"This hurts, this actually hurts. I don't know what to think well-nigh this. I approximate yous just never know what people do in the dark.
"I still love him but at the same fourth dimension information technology'south tough to hear that. I know it's going to be tough on him and tough on his family unit one time this gets out. It'due south Large Papi, human being, it's the Big Dog of Boston and he helped win two Earth Serial with those guys, with the clutch hits. And at present all those things are going to be tainted."
I retrieve that the 2004 Cherry Sox should have an asterisk adjacent to their 2004 World Serial title, proverb that yep, they did win the Globe Series, just their ALCS and World Series MVP'south were both on steroids.
These ii players were by no means role players on this team, they were the leaders, they took this team from lovable losers into two-time champions in the bridge of a few years.
One can assume that Manny has been taking steroids for a number of years now, equally he was as well recently suspended for steroid use, even so, few even toyed with the idea that information technology went back this far and tainted the 2004 World Serial Champs.
However, with new developments, the Expletive of the Infant has yet to be ended clean. Every bit for the team that everybody once loved, now ane tin can only wonder if they would have been able to make that historic run without PED's.
Now, let the jokes about "Fever Pitch" having deleted scenes where Jimmy Fallon and Drew Barrymore shooting up Manny and Big Papi before Game Four of the ALCS begin (by the manner, that's 3 Fever Pitch references in one commodity).
I'm Joe W.
Source: https://bleacherreport.com/articles/227307-the-story-of-how-the-red-sox-broke-the-curse
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