Copyright 2004 Daily News, L.P.

Daily News (New York)
October 21, 2004 Thursday
SPORTS FINAL EDITION
SECTION: SPORTS; BLEACHER CREATURE; Pg. 86

LENGTH: 583 words

HEADLINE: ALL HOPE, AND SERIES, LOST

BYLINE: BY FILIP BONDY

BODY:


Well, that's it then. The Babe blinked. Pigs flew, right below the baseballs going over the right-field wall. And after it ended, after the Red Sox finally won a Game 7 last night, 10-3, the Creatures could only remind the foolish Boston fans sitting around them that they had accomplished very little, in the grand scheme of things.

The Curse of the Babe is not about winning the American League pennant. That has been done several times by the Red Sox, most recently in 1986, when Boston managed to lose to the Mets, a difficult task for anyone with even a trace of steroids in his blood. The Red Sox will lose again to Houston or St. Louis, enhancing The Curse. Then the Creatures will jeer them to death next season with fresh chants and a brand new rotation (read: no Kevin Brown).

Meanwhile, let these Boston fans see how much of a burden it is to win.

From their arrogant attitudes last night, you would have thought the Sox captured 26 championships all at once. Their fans arrived in the Bronx like red locusts to a plague. Thousands of them roamed outside the Stadium last night on Mickey Mantle's birthday, searching for tickets. They were paying outrageous money, just needing to be inside to experience the rapture after 85 years of miserable anticipation.

Connecticut Joe sold four bleacher tickets (face value, $51 apiece) on eBay yesterday afternoon to Red Sox fans for $1,150. The purchasers told him they'd be heading down to the Bronx to pick them up, just before game time. Another Red Sox fan drove around River Ave. in a van, with signs on his windows that said, "This is our year."

"That car's going to have four flat tires after the game," Mike Donahue said. "It's going to be up on blocks."

Even before the game, there was a good deal of such gallows humor going around and some discussion about what would be worse: losing a big series to the Mets or to the Red Sox. The vote was split on this one. Bald Vinny thought losing to the Sox would be worse, if only because his inventory of anti-Red Sox T-shirts would be rendered useless.

Donahue said losing to the Red Sox might mean the world is coming to an end.

"It would be like Charlie Brown, kicking the football," Donahue said. "It would be like the Joker getting Batman."

But Midget Mike argued persuasively that in the end, Met fans were always worse. In 1986, he pulled for the Sox. In 2000, he lost sleep until the Mets were dead and buried. Midget Mike had already received a couple of phone calls yesterday morning from Met fans, alleged friends, telling him to "get ready" to lose.

"I don't really hate Red Sox fans that much," Midget Mike said. "I'm just sick of them."

From a purely sociological viewpoint, you had to figure Met fans were worse. Red Sox fans were born into their torment, lacking alternative franchises in Massachusetts. Met fans chose to be Met fans, like Republicans chose to be Republicans. Nothing stopped them from rooting for the Yanks, except their innate stubbornness and a blind hatred of championships.

You never really notice the alcohol ban in the bleachers until you get a game like this one. Brown, the guy with the stiff back, the broken bones in his hand and the inscrutable personality, couldn't put the ball over the plate. And when he did, you wished he didn't.

Suddenly, the Red Sox fans were acting up, chanting "MVP" for David Ortiz, dancing in the aisles, celebrating Mickey Mantle's birthday.

Yankees lose. You hate to sound like a front-runner, but maybe it's time to pick a new team.

GRAPHIC: AP Spike Lee and P. Diddy are stunned as Yanks complete record collapse.

LOAD-DATE: October 21, 2004