by Digger

Curse of the Bambino... meet the attempted curse of a construction worker.

New York Yankees vs Boston Red Sox represent one of the greatest rivalries in the history of sports. From curses to improbable comebacks, these teams have seen and played thru it all. For years Red Sox fans had dealt with tragic losses which had left the city of Boston in tears. It all began with "the trade" of Babe Ruth to New York before the 1920 season which famously began years of near misses and sorrowful defeats while playing in the shadow of New York, their players, and their fans. The Sox had knocked on the door of success many times only for the door to slam shut in their faces.

1967, 1975, 1978, 1986, 2003 are all seasons needing no description to Bostonians.

Then in 2004, "The Curse" was finally lifted. Chants in Yankee Stadium of "1918" would be heard no more. The Yanks had the Red Sox one out away from a playoff sweep... and then... a miraculous comeback changed Red Sox history. Trailing 3 games to 0, with two outs, the Sox rallied off New York's star closing pitcher Mariano Rivera to win game 4. Then, three more victories paved a road to the 2004 World Series Championship. Boston proved this was no fluke by winning their second title in four years last season.

New York is about to begin a new chapter in their illustrious history. 2008 will be their last year in "The House that Ruth built." A new Yankee Stadium is currently being contructed.

A new twist to this fierce rivalry was unveiled on Saturday. One of the construction workers assisting in building the new Yankee Stadium is a Red Sox fan who buried a David Ortiz #34 Red Sox jersey in concrete located in a corridor behind what is soon to be a restaurant. After Yankees officials received tips of what happened, their crews were able to retrieve Ortiz jersey buried under 2 feet of concrete.

It was a not so clever move by a Red Sox fan who ironically was part of building the new Yankee Stadium. He obviously bragged of what he was trying to do.... loose lips sink ships. Hopefully, for Yankees players and fans, a better move was completed by anonymous fellow workers who reported the plant.

Baseball is filled with folk lore and suggested curses. The rivalry between players, owners and fans is extremely intense and at times filled with hatred on and off the field. Could you imagine how this would have played out in years to come if this worker was able to keep his trap shut? I could just picture it now. Suppose the Yanks entered a cold spell of not reaching the playoffs or playoff collapses... and then the story came out. Follow it up with the Steinbrenner clan ordering workers to search and destroy without knowing where to begin searching.

Yankees brass made a good move once Ortiz jersey was found. It will be sent to the Jimmy Fund (a charity affiliated with Boston's Dana-Farber Cancer Institute) with hopes of it being auctioned off with proceeds donated.