WATERTOWN, Mass. -- Red Sox fans hoping to "reverse the curse" as the team heads into the American League Championship Series with New York were heartened Tuesday when one of Babe Ruth's old houses was torn down.
NewsCenter 5's Jorge Quiroga reported that Babe Ruth's old house in Watertown, at 47 Quincy St., -- which his ex-wife lived in after Ruth became a New York Yankee -- was demolished to make room for new construction.
It took demolition worker Dan McAuliffe about 90 minutes to do his part to try to reverse the 86-year-old "Curse of the Bambino" as he helped tear down the home, which is about 10 miles from Fenway Park.
"It is going to go all the way. It starts here, right now," McAuliffe said.
The three-bedroom house was the home Ruth's ex-wife Helen lived in after he was sold to the Yankees. She continued to live there after Ruth shipped off to the Big Apple. Demolition workers said they got some satisfaction from tearing it down.
"It was a better day to come to work than most other days," demolition worker Mike Arpino said.
Arpino was helping to clear the lot to make room for two new townhouses. He admitted to being a bit superstitious about the Sox, believing that this will help break the jinx.
"You can feel it this year. I stopped watching the games because they lost whenever I watched. I watched the other night, and they won. I am watching them again," Arpino said. "That's the end of (this house.) Let's go dump it in New York."
The curse traditionally refers to the bad luck that the team has endured since their last World Series win in 1918. One year later, team owner and Broadway producer Harry Frazee sold George Herman "Babe" Ruth, their star pitcher and hitter, to the New York Yankees for $100,000 cash and a $300,000 mortgage on Fenway Park. It was the beginning of the Bambino's Curse as the Red Sox haven't won another World Series since.
As for Tuesday's game in the Bronx, the Sox are going with 21-game winner Curt Schilling in the opener, while the Yankees counter with Mike Mussina. So far, the Sox sound confident.
"He's been looking forward to this situation, this type of game for a long time and doesn't ensure or guarantee wins, but I think you are going to see the best of Schilling," Red Sox Manager Terry Francona said.
"I am not sure I can think of any scenario more enjoyable than making 55,000 people from New York shut up," Schilling said.
Schilling has won six straight postseason decisions since 1993.
On a sour note, the cover of Tuesday's
New York Daily News reads "Come to Daddy," which mimics a comment that Sox pitcher Pedro Martinez made earlier this year.
SportsCenter 5's Mike Dowling reports LIVE Tuesday from New York as the Red Sox and Yankees prepare to square off for the league championship. Copyright 2005 by TheBostonChannel. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Jorge Quiroga Reports On Curse
