How Did Red Sox Fans Attempt to Lift the Curse of the Bambino?

Babe Ruth is probably the most famous player to have ever pulled on a Red Sox shirt, but some fans in Boston may have wished he had never bothered. According to folklore, the Boston Red Sox were afflicted with the Curse of the Bambino from 1918 to 2004, causing them to suffer a complete drought in championship wins. 

The Curse of the Bambino is said to have arisen due to the indignity of Babe Ruth being sold to the Yankees from the Red Sox. As the years passed, fans grew more desperate to lift the Curse and went to extraordinary lengths to try and help.

Although the Curse has since been lifted, the efforts made still tell a fascinating story. Here are some of the more wacky and extreme attempts made by Red Sox fans.

Most people know the superstition of "find a penny, pick it up and all day long you'll have good luck", but the owners of a particular beer stand in Fenway Park hoped that their good fortune might stretch a little further. 

The penny was found at their beer counter within Fenway Park, and it was noted to bear the year 1918 - the last time the Red Sox won the World Series. Hoping that it might be a lucky omen and dispel the dreaded Curse, the owners of the beer stand taped the penny to the front of their fridge.

If you believe in curses, there's no reason not to believe in magic - or that magic could be the answer to lifting the lousy luck. There have been many magical attempts to lift the Curse, but it's questionable as to whether any of them made a difference. 

Magical solutions included arranging for a witch to visit Fenway Park, creating a shrine to the Red Sox and even creating a spell in a cauldron using clams and beer while reciting an incantation. Despite the best magical efforts, nothing worked until 2004 when the Red Sox finally won.

There’s a lot to admire in people who take responsibility for bringing about the changes that they want. This means understanding that to get a positive result, it’s not enough simply to carry on doing the same thing. Only by making changes can you hope to achieve a different outcome. 

One person took this approach rather literally, and not content with a T-shirt saying "DESRUC" - a reversal of the Curse - she decided to reverse her own lifestyle too. Normally a committed vegetarian, she munched down 20 hot dogs in the belief that by reversing her life, she could also reverse the Curse which had plagued her favourite team.

In 2004, a baseball flew up from the field in Fenway Park and into the crowd. This isn't such an unusual event except that it hit a boy in the face, knocking out two of his teeth on this occasion. The unfortunate victim lived in Sudbury Farm, the same place as Babe Ruth had also lived. Many fans believe that this bizarre accident was responsible for lifting the Curse and allowing the Red Sox to finally win again!