One Curse Down

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Had John Kerry and the Democrats heeded the example of the Boston Red Sox, they'd be in the White House right now.

The Red Sox hadn't won a World Series since selling Babe Ruth to the New York Yankees. When they overcame the "curse of the Bambino" right before the election, the Washington Post claimed that "the culmination of the baseball season has never been so inexorably linked to the culmination of the presidential race." But the connection may not have been what the Post expected.

The Red Sox broke the curse by ignoring it. Shunning the defensive they came out swinging when their backs were to the wall, sweeping both the Yankees and the Cardinals. Unimpressed with their opponents, they rejected the copycat role, instead playing their own game and trusting their own vision. The Red Sox won with sacrifice: Schilling played hurt, and Wakefield volunteered for the bullpen. They won with redemption: Lowe and Martinez rose …