October 29, 2007

Boston Sweeps the World Series

The Boston Red Sox overtake the Colorado Rockies for their second World Series win in four years

By Vickie An

The Boston Red Sox cleaned up at this year's World Series. Baseball's former underdogs crushed the Colorado Rockies, 4-3, on Sunday night, completing an impressive four-game sweep of the Series. The triumph gives Boston its seventh overall championship title and its second in the past four seasons.

JACK DEMPSEY—AP World Series MVP Mike Lowell celebrates Boston’s win after the Red Sox defeat the Colorado Rockies in a four-game Series sweep on Sunday.

The Rockies entered the Series having won 21 out of 22 games during the season. It was Colorado's first-ever run for the championship, and the eleventh for Boston. "We just beat an excellent team," said Red Sox catcher Jason Varitek. "(Our) team's got a lot of heart. We worked really hard."

Crushing the Curse

The Red Sox were last crowned baseball's champs back in 2004. They swept the Series that year as well, overpowering the St. Louis Cardinals in four straight games. That year's victory was especially sweet for Boston. The Red Sox had not won baseball's coveted top spot since 1918.

Many fans credit the losing streak to the "Curse of the Bambino," named after baseball legend George Herman "Babe" Ruth, who was also known as "the Bambino." Ruth played for Boston from 1914 until 1920, leading the Red Sox to three World Series victories.

But in 1920, Red Sox owner Harry Frazee sold the star player for more than $400,000 in cash and loans to the New York Yankees. At the time, the Yankees had yet to win a Series title. In the decades following the fateful trade, the Yankees went on to win 26 World Series, Ruth was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame, and the Red Sox spent 86 years trying to break the unlucky spell.

After their last two Series wins, many fans think they may have finally broken the curse. But Boston's team president Larry Lucchino says it's too early to call the Red Sox the team of the decade. "It's premature. It's nonsense," he said. "We're the team of 2004 and 2007."

News for Next Season

Boston isn't the only team making baseball headlines this week. The New York Yankees have some big news of their own. Joe Girardi, Yankees broadcaster and former manager of the Florida Marlins, has been selected to replace long-time manager Joe Torre. Meanwhile, Alex Rodriguez announced on Sunday that he wouldn't finish out his contract with the Yankees. This could lead to his leaving the team after four seasons.

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