Ping: Red Sox Fans

[terpkristin]

Was any of you the mastermind behind this? Because it wasn't me. :D

Story (http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3344825)
Report: Workers dig furiously to rid new Yanks stadium of Red Sox jersey

Crisis, and curse, averted. It took about five hours, but the Red Sox jersey that was embedded in the concrete of the Yankees' new stadium to place a curse on the New York franchise has been unearthed with jackhammers, according to a published report.

Earlier this week, a construction worker who is a Boston fan working on the concrete crew at the $1.3 billion new Yankee Stadium buried a Red Sox shirt in with the concrete foundation, in the hopes of jinxing the New York Yankees (http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/clubhouse?team=nyy)' new home, the New York Post reported.

The newspaper reported Sunday that two workers approached a construction manager with what they thought was the location of the jersey. After digging a two-foot by three-foot hole, the jersey was found.

"They absolutely pinpointed that if it was in the ground, that's where it was," Yankees spokeswoman Alice McGillion told the newspaper.

Initially the Yankees denied the jersey was ever buried in the footings of the new stadium. But clearly the Yankees brass is happier now with the possibility of a course gone.

"I hope his co-workers kick the [expletive] out of him," Yankees co-chairperson Hal Steinbrenner said.

The newspaper said the jersey felt like a filthy rag, but the word "Red" was clearly visible.

There are precedents for fans strategically burying trinkets for good luck. During the construction of the ice rink for the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, a worker laid a Canadian one-dollar coin (known as a "loonie") at center ice. Canada went on to win its first gold medal in men's ice hockey since 1952.

And Mickey Bradley, a co-author of "Haunted Baseball," told the New York Post that a worker was said to have buried an unknown good-luck charm in a water main trench of the current Yankee Stadium back in 1920.

"Prior to that, they never won a World Series," he told the newspaper.

The Yankees went on to win 26 world championships since.

[SackAttack]

'Course, it'd be funny if they had buried more than one and that one was just the decoy.

[digamma]

Classy quote by Hank Steinbrenner.

[terpkristin]

Classy quote by Hank Steinbrenner.

Honestly, I don't know much about Hank, but when I read that quote, it really fit in with my preconceived notion of him, I expected nothing more than that from him...

/tk

[bhlloy]

I wonder if that will stand up in court if the guy does get the "expletive" kicked into him by his co-workers... is Steinbrenner technically the boss of the project? That would be a fun lawsuit :)

[sterlingice]

I'm going to go out on a limb and guess no one bothers to jynx the Royals new renovations. We don't need any help with that ;)

SI

[DaddyTorgo]

"I hope his co-workers kick the [expletive] out of him," Yankees co-chairperson Hal Steinbrenner said.

-- wow, this guy really is a serious douchebag. "Hi...I'm worth millions...I'm going to wish that poor construction worker gets the shit kicked out of him."

what a fucking wanker.

[Karlifornia]

I'm so over the whole Red Sox/Yankees rivalry. The media doesn't understand that people who aren't Yankees or Red Sox fans DO NOT CARE. Then idiocy like putting a shirt in the foundation....why is this news? Why are people digging it up to retrieve it?

[Oilers9911]

The stupid thing about this is that anyone would believe in such a "curse" anyway.

[sterlingice]

I'm so over the whole Red Sox/Yankees rivalry. The media doesn't understand that people who aren't Yankees or Red Sox fans DO NOT CARE. Then idiocy like putting a shirt in the foundation....why is this news? Why are people digging it up to retrieve it?

I was over at a house with 15 sports fans in Iowa yesterday (nephew's birthday party) and we were mad that the only game on was the Red Sox/Yankees. Some wanted the Cubs or Royals since those are the local teams for them but we would have love to have seen Gavin Floyd's near no-hitter yesterday afternoon or the Sheets/Santana matchup instead :(

SI

[ISiddiqui]

I'm so over the whole Red Sox/Yankees rivalry. The media doesn't understand that people who aren't Yankees or Red Sox fans DO NOT CARE. Then idiocy like putting a shirt in the foundation....why is this news? Why are people digging it up to retrieve it?

Well, the ratings are high enough for it that it doesn't matter that other fans don't care. They don't want other teams in enough proportion to make up for it.

[Chief Rum]

Well, the ratings are high enough for it that it doesn't matter that other fans don't care. They don't want other teams in enough proportion to make up for it.

Just because you're the biggest minority doesn't mean we should have you shoved down our throats. I barely ever watch ESPN anymore because of this. What a waste of an entire sports network.

[ISiddiqui]

Well, it is all about money in the end.

[Chief Rum]

Well, it is all about money in the end.

Yes, and they're not getting mine.

[ISiddiqui]

It's made up by others ;).

[Atocep]

Just because you're the biggest minority doesn't mean we should have you shoved down our throats. I barely ever watch ESPN anymore because of this. What a waste of an entire sports network.

ESPN is more for the casual sports fan now and the Yankees/Red Sox stories are the stuff that gets the casual fan's attention and hits a large hardcore audience. It sucks for those that want to see something else, but ESPN is out to make money, just like the rest of us.

Until one or both of these teams start to suck again, its going to remain this way.

[Chief Rum]

It's made up by others ;).

Actually, no, it's not. There's far more people who think like me than you. New York and New England represent, what 15-20% of the population at most, and that's being liberal.

The problem is we don't have a rallying point to get behind. None of us give a flying rat's ass about the Yankees and Red Sox and their curses or rivalry or whether Johnny Damon cuts his hair or if Manny is off his meds--but we're too regionally disjointed and diverse to rally behind any one other point of interest. Fans in Texas are not much more interested in seeing my Angels than they are the Yankees or Red Sox. Twins fans could care less about either the AL East or AL West.

So there is no draw for us to challenge New York-Boston, because that is the largest minority and the only way ESPN can get the ratings it wants.

That doesn't mean I have to like it, and I have other avenues to go to that don't involve ESPN getting my money. Now if we get the rest of the media to stop following ESPN's lead, maybe we wouldn't be inundated with the trivialities of two clubs and cities that are, for most of us, thousands of miles away in distance and in mind.

[Chief Rum]

ESPN is more for the casual sports fan now and the Yankees/Red Sox stories are the stuff that gets the casual fan's attention and hits a large hardcore audience. It sucks for those that want to see something else, but ESPN is out to make money, just like the rest of us.

Until one or both of these teams start to suck again, its going to remain this way.

While I agree it is more casual now, and there is a large hardcore audience because New York/New England is a large populated area, I don't agree that it gets the "casual" fan's attention. It gets that hardcore audience for sure, and it only draws any casual fan interest because that element of sports (Yankees/Red Sox) is rammed unwillingly down our throats by a niche media leader like ESPN. As usual, the media does as much to "create" what the audience is interested in, as it does to report that which we are interested in. And since one dovetails into the other, it builds like a cycle.

God forbid there should be responsible journalism anymore (even in sports). Ratings and money are always king, yes, but it's sad that it has become so prevalent that now all responsible judgment of the true "newsworthiness" of a story has been tossed aside to appeal to the largest niche within a niche.

Great if you're a Spankees/Sux fan--not so much if you're bored to tears by that niche.

[Galaril]

Actually, no, it's not. There's far more people who think like me than you. New York and New England represent, what 15-20% of the population at most, and that's being liberal.

The problem is we don't have a rallying point to get behind. None of us give a flying rat's ass about the Yankees and Red Sox and their curses or rivalry or whether Johnny Damon cuts his hair or if Manny is off his meds--but we're too regionally disjointed and diverse to rally behind any one other point of interest. Fans in Texas are not much more interested in seeing my Angels than they are the Yankees or Red Sox. Twins fans could care less about either the AL East or AL West.

So there is no draw for us to challenge New York-Boston, because that is the largest minority and the only way ESPN can get the ratings it wants.

That doesn't mean I have to like it, and I have other avenues to go to that don't involve ESPN getting my money. Now if we get the rest of the media to stop following ESPN's lead, maybe we wouldn't be inundated with the trivialities of two clubs and cities that are, for most of us, thousands of miles away in distance and in mind.


Actually yes if you count Yen and Yuan, since the Yankees are taking over the merging China baseball fan and the Red Sox have just about become Japan's Team.

[ISiddiqui]

So there is no draw for us to challenge New York-Boston, because that is the largest minority and the only way ESPN can get the ratings it wants.

Isn't that basically exactly what I said?

If it caters to another team... like, say, the Cubs, it loses a lot of NY/NE fans or casual fans who love the hate the Yankees. So when you say they lose you as a fan, well, they gain more from that Northeast region of the country or the casual fan that wants to see the Yanks lose or the collection of talent that is on the field when the teams with the 2 highest payrolls in baseball face off.

[EagleFan]

I'm going to go out on a limb and guess no one bothers to jynx the Royals new renovations. We don't need any help with that ;)

SI

Someone jynxed them by putting a Royals jersey in the foundation... ;)

[Logan]

I'm calling bullshit on the Yankees actually digging up the foundation and finding this shirt.

[sterlingice]

Someone jynxed them by putting a Royals jersey in the foundation... ;)

Ouch :(

SI

[korme]

Hal Steinbrenner said that, not Hank.

[Karlifornia]

out to make money, just like the rest of us.




Speak for yourself, cowpoke

[Godzilla Blitz]

I grew up in Boston and have lived outside the state for a long time now. I think it's great that I get to see so many games now, but it can imagine it would get tiring if you weren't a fan. It reminds me of the Braves of the 90's. Seems like every time I'd turn on the TV, there was that goddamn chop going on. It was like they were the only team in baseball.

The Red Sox are on national TV what, four times in five days this week? (Saturday NY vs. BOS, Sunday NY vs. Bos, Monday Bos vs. Cle, and Wednesday Bos vs. NY).

[ISiddiqui]

Well, to be fair, the Red Sox are the defending World Series champions (and NY and Cle were playoff teams last season... Bos-Cle went to 7 games in the ALCS and Bos-NY is always heated).

Though in other years that isn't an excuse ;).

[Logan]

Don't think this was posted...the Yankees/Sox are auctioning off the Jersey with 100% of the proceeds going to The Jimmy Fund. Good job by both teams, up to $53K.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=120248650648&tr=y&auid=3582588

[DaddyTorgo]

Don't think this was posted...the Yankees/Sox are auctioning off the Jersey with 100% of the proceeds going to The Jimmy Fund. Good job by both teams, up to $53K.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=120248650648&tr=y&auid=3582588


I agree. Very nice to see this.