The David Ortiz jersey dug out of the new Yankee Stadium fetched $175,000 in a charity auction for the Jimmy Fund. It's nice to see something good come out of the whole overblown mess. Unfortunately it likely cost the Yankees a lot more than that to dig up the jersey in the first place, but kudos to them for turning the situation around in order to benefit a good cause.
Since the Jersey was dug up, Big Papi has started hitting again and appears to be coming out of his slump.
Earlier this week the Yankees dug up the mysterious shirt that was buried in the cement at the new Yankee stadium. It turned out to be a David Ortiz t-shirt. Big Papi, who has been slumping horribly, was given yesterday off and returned to the lineup tonight. This was his first game since the article of clothing bearing his name was dug out of Yankee stadium.
Ortiz went 2 for 5, getting his first hit in a long time and getting a critical hit in the 9th (and then was replaced with a pinch runner who then scored the go-ahead run on a Manny Ramirez homer).
Could the Papi shirt buried under Yankee stadium in an effort to hex the Yankees have actually cursed the big man instead? I don't know but since it was dug up Ortiz's slump has disappeared.
(Note: No, I don't actually believe this, but the hysteria the story seems to have generated is humorous.)
Apparently there may have been some truth to the rumor of the shirt being buried in the cement at Yankee stadium. Current reports are saying that the two men who brought the story to light were able to identify exactly where the shirt was buried. After several hours of work with a jackhammer, crews were able to uncover the shirt which turned out to be a David Ortiz jersey.
So I'm wondering if having his jersey buried in Yankee stadium was the reason for Big Papi's slump. Ortiz is not playing in tonight's game and so we'll have to wait a while to find out.
(And no, I don't take whole ordeal seriously at all.)
The New York Post ran an article earlier today telling a dubious tale. Apparently a diehard Red Sox fan was working on the Yankee stadium construction crew and took it upon himself to add some bad mojo to the new structure. A Red Sox t-shirt was poured in the concrete slab that will be under the future visitor's clubhouse. The Post withheld any names of people involved in the incident claiming their informants did not have permission to speak with the media.
I don't know if there is any truth to the story. The only other mentions I have seen on the web have been referrals to the NY Post story, without additional confirmation. My gut tells me that this is a complete hoax, a tall tale dreamed up to create more animosity between these two teams and to add more mystery to the rivalry.
There are quite a few reasons not to believe the story. First of all is the idea that the workers who came forward were "not authorized to speak with the media". Really? I'm not in the construction business but did they really sign non-disclosure agreements? More likely they don't exist. Secondly is the supposed placement of the shirt, namely underneath the visiting teams clubhouse. Wouldn't it be better to curse the Yankees by putting something under the home team's facilities? Lastly is the timing of the story, the day of the first Yankees-Red Sox game in the 2008 regular season. More than likely the story was just fabricated to drum up some excitement for the upcoming games.
Regardless of whether we are dealing with fact or fiction, the Yankees organization will pay no attention to the rumor. Die hard Sox and Yankee fans will recall the tale from time to time whenever the Yanks get a bad break against the Sox in their new park, and the sappy sports media will try to milk the story for all it's worth. Heck, I'm even blogging about it.
