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As I write this, it is the 9th inning in St. Louis, and the Boston Red Sox have a 3-0 lead, both in the World Series and in this game four. Jason Varitek just hit a two-out single as the Sox try to add some insurance on what looks like a sweep.

It wasn’t supposed to go this way. Last Friday, I reveled in the Sox’ improbable come-from-behind victory in the ALCS. I’ve no particular emotional investment in the Sox; but I am a diehard Yankee-hater. I watched those damn Yankees beat the Dodgers (whom I loved) in the Series in ‘77 and ‘78. I had a minor role as a Washington Senator in a college production of Damn Yankees. And what about the times the Mariners have been beaten in the postseason by those damn Yankees? I’ll cheer for anyone who plays against the Yanks, any time, any place. And so, when the Sox did what no baseball team had ever done before, come back from a 3-0 deficit in a seven game series, I was delighted.

But there is no better storyline in Major League Baseball than the Curse of the Bambino. Bringing the Red Sox to the brink of success, then dashing them to the depths of despair is such great drama; it’s the best sports soap opera going. It’s good for the sport. (Bill Mueller grounded into a force out, and we head for the bottom of the ninth.)

[MY DISCLAIMER: I've had a vested interest in Major League Baseball, having designed two computer games based on the sport. And I know the value of having a great dramatic storyline in baseball to draw in the fans. The first baseball game I designed hit the shelves on the day the players went on strike in 1994. Our sales were awful. (Albert Pujols singles to center.)]

And now, it looks like the Curse might really be over. I hate to see it go. The perfect ending to this World Series, now that the Cards are down 3-0, would be for them to stage the same kind of comeback that the Sox just managed.(Scott Rolen flies out to right.)

I worry about these things. If Boston breaks the curse, what happens to Red Sox Nation? It takes powerful mojo to keep a fan base like that so intensely loyal to their team. These are not the Bleacher Bums at Wrigley Field, faithful as much to the Friendly Confines experience as to their hapless Cubs. These are people bound by suffering. Bill Buckner. Bucky F****** Dent. This is the strong glue of a unique kind of fan base. What keeps them together once those wounds have been healed? (Jim Edmonds strikes out, and Pujols advances to second.)

On the other hand, if the curse is to be broken, let it be a sweep. After all they’ve been through, 86 seasons of futility and misery, an eight game journey from the near-death to triumph is the best ending for such a magnificent story. (Renteria grounds out and the game is over.)

And now that we live in a Curse-free world? What’s next?

(Can I get a bet on the Cubs winning the Series next year?)

Tonight, the Boston Red Sox accomplished two important feats:

1.) They became the first team in baseball history to win a post-season series after being down three games to none.
2.) They prevented the New York Yankees from winning yet another American League pennant (and World Series Championship).

Thanks, Sox. Really terrific. Great series, very exciting. Now knock it off.

One of the best storylines in baseball, year after year, is the Curse of the Bambino. What on earth would the Fox broadcasters talk about during Red Sox games without the Curse? It’s a tradition that the Sox do not get to win the World Series, and baseball is a very traditional sport.

And what about Red Sox Nation? Could those fans really hold together without the burden of the Curse? Could they keep their mystique? Without the Curse, being a Red Sox fan becomes little different from being a fan of 20 other teams. So what?

So, go Astros or go Cardinals. Whoever the NL sends to the Series is my team!

Major League Baseball officially announced today that the Montreal Expos will be playing at RFK Stadium in Washington, DC next year.

Lots of things to complain about with this. MLB has treated the Expos pretty shabbily for a decade, between the 1994 work stoppage, the Jeffrey Loria debacle (which included yet another MLB attempt to extort a stadium from the public treasury), and the outright conflict-of-interest of a team owned by the other 29 teams. The idea that Montreal is incapable of supporting a team is absurd; many smaller cities seem to support their teams just fine. If the Expos had stable, committed ownership, they could have kept some of their free agents over the years and put together a great ballclub.

In addition, if they Expos had to move, there are more interesting places for them to go than Washington, DC. (Especially if the club is not going to be renamed the Washington Senators.) I have long supported the idea of placing a team in Mexico City. Mexico has a good baseball fan base, and so many of the players in MLB are native Spanish speakers. Plus, it would help with the internationalization of the game.

On the other hand, Peter Angelos, owner of the Baltimore Orioles, has been such a nuisance — what good thing has he done for the game since he built Camden Yards? — that moving a team into his territory is very satisfying. Unfortunately, Bud Selig bought Angelos cooperation at a high price: guaranteed minimum revenues each year and guaranteed minimum selling price should Angelos sell the club.

The whole incident is sad and nauseating.