Curse of The Bambino

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Posted By: warshawlaw

I am a Yankees fan. I never worry about the Red Sox, though, because they are part of the spectrum of loser franchises.

There is a force within the universe that is mightier than us all. Some call it The Force or karma or mojo, or walking like you've got a pair; I call it the Loser Franchise Principle. Some teams have such an ingrained tradition of losing that they are loser franchises. Their successes are in spite of themselves and they always manage to $%%^& up their situation. Rookies come to these teams full of promise but become infected with the loser virus in short order. A team can also become a loser franchise in as little as one generation (Royals and Brewers come to mind) with sufficiently poor management and attitude. Baseball has the following loser franchises: Red Sox, Indians, Cubs, Mariners, Rangers (carry-over from being Senators), Padres, Expos, Astros, Brewers. The only way a loser franchise can break free is to sign enough players or management from winning franchises to overcome the negativity. The Devil Rays are a great example. They are playing stellar ball because their manager comes from a tradition of winning and doesn't take "no" for an answer. The 1980 Phillies are another perfect example. Their mainstays included a Red (Rose), a Met (McGraw) and a Cardinal (Carlton). The Angels were a loser franchise until they imported a manager from a winning franchise and, more importantly, faced a team in the WS that is rapidly becoming a loser franchise. I believe that the Angels are backsliding. Vlad Guerrero may win the triple crown, but in coming from a loser franchise to a loser franchise, the Angels will go down in the 1st round, if they even make the playoffs. The Cubs are intriguing this year because they imported a winning franchise pitcher, whose winning aura might just be enough to counteract the dead dog stink the Cubbies otherwise have. Ditto the Astros, whose imports have a whole bunch of rings. The Royals never were a loser franchise before, but they are approaching the edge.

Now, you may ask yourselves, members of the Red Sox Nation, why should you believe in this theory? Well, ask yourselves instead what it is that motivates you to talk incessantly about the curse of the bambino rather than about the strengths of your team? Answer: Loser Franchise Principle. Loser franchise players and fans worry about LOSING; winning franchise players and fans worry about winning.

One final thought: 1918...