THE BOOK--Playing The Percentages In Baseball

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Superstitions, real or not? “It is not clear.”

Why would the NY Times possibly accept this sentence in their newspaper:

Of course, it is not clear that burying Red Sox artifacts in the Bronx will have an adverse effect on the Yankees. 

They’re kidding right?  Somebody wants to believe in superstitions, fine.  But, for a newspaper (the NY TIMES!) to make a wishy-washy statement like something is not clear if spitting on a sidewalk will have an adverse affect on 25 human beings?  And, to add to that preposterous statement, they followed that up with:

Ortiz had a poor start this season, but he has raised his average 180 points and hit nine home runs since the jersey was unearthed.

I thought Ortiz had such an intangible clutch quality about him that he is able to overcome the pressure in the air that befalls most mortals.  But, now he appears to be such a weak-kneed child that somebody removing a pin from a voodoo doll is enough to make him return to his superhuman powers.

The NY effing Times?  Oh, how the mighty have fallen.