rss feedWhat the Hex? The Continuing Saga of the "Sox Curse"
Posted by Heather Muse at 9:41 AM, April 14, 2008
As mentioned last week, I love this story, but even I'm getting a little sick of it. My inner conspiracy theorist is beginning to think that perhaps the Saga of the Sox Jersey is one of those "partnerships" dreamed up by Hank Steinbrenner and Red Sox owner John Henry to keep folks interested in The Rivalry. Yes, I'm being hyperbolic.
Still, since this story broke on Friday, the Yankees dug up the jersey! This is especially ironic since at one point in the weekend news cycle, Hank Steinbrenner referred to the "curse" a "bunch of bull----" and also charmingly told reporters that he hopes that shirt burier Gino Castignoli's "coworkers kick the s--- out of him." If that doesn't scream "class," I don’t know what does. And again, why dig up the jersey if you don't believe in curses? And to add insult to injury, the Yanks are considering pressing charges against Castignoli and if that plan doesn't work out, the team may file a civil suit against the construction worker for the $50,000 excavation project. At least one bit of good may come out of this whole fiasco: the Yankees say they're going to donate the jersey to The Jimmy Fund, a Boston-based cancer charity, for auction.
The story has traveled up north, where Castignoli is being hailed as a hero living in enemy territory. The excavation of the David Ortiz jersey made the front page of Boston's Post equivalent, the Herald, and that paper got an interview with Castignoli's mother Lucy, who is a diehard Bombers fan but who tells the paper, "He’s a child that if he believes in something he sticks with it. He always did. That’s his nature." And Castignoli's childhood pal, another lifelong Yanks fan, says that if his beloved team presses charges against his buddy Gino, he's going to "jump ship."
The funniest bit of this fiasco has to be the Post's claim that the hex has been lifted from the Yanks and transferred to the player whose jersey was buried in the stadium: David "Big Papi" Ortiz. The Sox slugger has a pitiful .070 batting average so far this season. Still, right now Boston is having the last laugh: the Red Sox won this weekend's series against the Yankees, two games to one.
