Red Sox jersey up for auction after failed curse attempt

Sun Apr 13, 2008 12:55 PM EDT
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BOSTON — A secretly buried jersey that was supposed to start a curse has instead become a goodwill gesture between longtime baseball rivals.

The official charity of the Red Sox, the Jimmy Fund, began an eBay auction Thursday for the David Ortiz jersey that was buried under the New York Yankees' new stadium by a Boston fan hoping to create a hex.

"I hadn't given it much thought," Red Sox manager Terry Francona said with a smile before Thursday night's game at the Yankees. "I can tell you this, that nobody in the Francona household will be bidding on it."

All proceeds will go to the children's cancer charity, which is affiliated with Boston's Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. The jersey was recovered Sunday and the Yankees sent it to the Jimmy Fund.

The auction lasts for one week. The starting bid was $500 for the No. 34 jersey, a brand new jersey and two seats to a Red Sox game.

"It's certainly a very, very valuable piece of property," said Mike Andrews, the chairman of the Jimmy Fund and a former Red Sox second baseman.

"We're bitter rivals when we go on the field, but there's one thing we have in common and that's the fight against cancer," he said. "I think it was wonderful they thought of us immediately but I'm not surprised."

Construction worker Gino Castignoli, a Red Sox fan from the Bronx, had dropped the jersey in wet concrete, apparently trying to jinx the Yankees.

Tipsters led the Yankees to the jersey's location, under two feet of concrete in a service corridor.

The jersey didn't fare well underground. It was torn from the jackhammers and stained, and some of the letters spelling "Red Sox" on the front are falling off.

"We're very happy that the end result of everything is that the Jimmy Fund is the one that's going to benefit," Red Sox spokesman John Blake said. "That's a great thing."

The Yankees declined to comment Thursday.

Some fans speculated the Yankees may have removed the wrong curse by excavating the jersey. Before it was found, Ortiz was slumping at .070. Since then, the popular designated hitter was batting .267 (4-for-15).

Ryan Reardon, an 8-year-old Red Sox fan and cancer patient at Dana-Farber, helped unveil the jersey Thursday at the hospital. He said he felt good about the Yankees, since they're helping the Jimmy Fund.

When asked how long he expected that to last, he replied: "Just today."

___

AP Baseball Writer Mike Fitzpatrick in New York contributed to this report.

© 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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{"commentId":1687355,"authorDomain":"paperdragon"}
Dennis P. McCann
The Yankees plan to donate the jersey to charity, and may pursue a lawsuit against the construction worker.

A lawsuit? For what?

{"commentId":1687355,"threadId":"249544","contentId":"1428121","authorDomain":"paperdragon"}
  • 3 votes
Reply#1 - Sun Apr 13, 2008 4:29 PM EDT
{"commentId":1687640,"authorDomain":"MinnieApolis"}
MinnieApolis

Yeah, I scratch my head, too, over that. They want to file criminal charges because someone tried to jinx the Yankees. Ah-hunh. And try telling that to the judge.

{"commentId":1687640,"threadId":"249544","contentId":"1428121","authorDomain":"MinnieApolis"}
  • 4 votes
Reply#2 - Sun Apr 13, 2008 6:21 PM EDT
{"commentId":1687872,"authorDomain":"atvance"}
atvance
And try telling that to the judge.

If the judge is a Yankees fan, though...

{"commentId":1687872,"threadId":"249544","contentId":"1428121","authorDomain":"atvance"}
  • 1 vote
#2.1 - Sun Apr 13, 2008 7:55 PM EDT
{"commentId":1687959,"authorDomain":"cp33"}
cp33

I am thinking cost of digging up the concrete, although he didn't MAKE them do that.

{"commentId":1687959,"threadId":"249544","contentId":"1428121","authorDomain":"cp33"}
  • 2 votes
#2.2 - Sun Apr 13, 2008 8:32 PM EDT
{"commentId":1688279,"authorDomain":"juli54green"}
juli54

I had the very same thought process, Cp33.

{"commentId":1688279,"threadId":"249544","contentId":"1428121","authorDomain":"juli54green"}
  • 1 vote
#2.3 - Sun Apr 13, 2008 10:25 PM EDT
Reply
{"commentId":1687700,"authorDomain":"mark12914"}
Lazarillo

Hey, last time it was illegal to put a curse on someone, the penalty was burning at the stake. Why is he getting off so easily?

Seriously, these Yankee guys are way out of line. It's a creative little joke, not some "evil act". Lighten up. They should have left it there, just as a colorful part of the rivalry story. In any case, spending 5 hours to jackhammer it out is beyond ridiculous.

{"commentId":1687700,"threadId":"249544","contentId":"1428121","authorDomain":"mark12914"}
  • 6 votes
Reply#3 - Sun Apr 13, 2008 6:48 PM EDT
{"commentId":1687830,"authorDomain":"juli54green"}
juli54

Yeah, Lazarillo, I'm thinking that would have been a better solution.

Go Sox!! ;-)

{"commentId":1687830,"threadId":"249544","contentId":"1428121","authorDomain":"juli54green"}
  • 1 vote
#3.1 - Sun Apr 13, 2008 7:39 PM EDT
{"commentId":1688619,"authorDomain":"timstown"}
Tim.
Seriously, these Yankee guys are way out of line. It's a creative little joke, not some "evil act". Lighten up. They should have left it there, just as a colorful part of the rivalry story. In any case, spending 5 hours to jackhammer it out is beyond ridiculous.

Your obviosuly not a Yankees fan, lol Seriosuly, a die hard Yankees fan would probably gather a group and riot until they decided to get the shirt out. And no, I'm not a Yankee's fan, I don't even like baseball :P And I do agree it's ridiculous.

{"commentId":1688619,"threadId":"249544","contentId":"1428121","authorDomain":"timstown"}
  • 1 vote
#3.2 - Mon Apr 14, 2008 12:42 AM EDT
Reply
{"commentId":1688315,"authorDomain":"jasonford"}
Jason Ford

It's funny how just a few days ago the Yankees said the story probably wasn't true.

There were people who predicted that they would have the jersey removed by the end of the week. One more reason to hate the Yankees.

{"commentId":1688315,"threadId":"249544","contentId":"1428121","authorDomain":"jasonford"}
  • 1 vote
Reply#4 - Sun Apr 13, 2008 10:35 PM EDT
{"commentId":1688626,"authorDomain":"timstown"}
Tim.

I think it's funny are just there holding the shirt all serious. I couldn't help but to burst out laughing.

{"commentId":1688626,"threadId":"249544","contentId":"1428121","authorDomain":"timstown"}
  • 2 votes
Reply#5 - Mon Apr 14, 2008 12:44 AM EDT
{"commentId":1689639,"authorDomain":"DSMcD"}
DSMc2gal

This sounds like a poorly written comic-book script!

{"commentId":1689639,"threadId":"249544","contentId":"1428121","authorDomain":"DSMcD"}
  • 1 vote
Reply#6 - Mon Apr 14, 2008 10:42 AM EDT
{"commentId":1691021,"authorDomain":"apuccine"}
apuccine

I think that this is one of the best sports stories I have heard in a long time. This is so funny and it really goes to show how big of a rivalry the Yankees and the Red Sox really do have. For a Red Sox fan to plant a Red Sox jersey in the new Yankees stadium is really showing devotion to his team. It would have been even funnier though if someone told the team about the planted jersey, but wouldn't tell them where it was buried. It would have sent the whole organization on a wild goose chase. That would be the ultimate reward for a Red Sox fan: knowing that everyone in New York was upset over the jersey, but having no idea if it was really there or where it was. I think that guy should get season tickets for the Red Sox this season for trying to put a "curse" on the Yankees. What I want to know though is what kind of legal trouble are the Yankees trying to get him in? Is it against the law to bury something while doing construction? Or is it against the law that a Red Sox fan pulled a prank on the Yankees?

{"commentId":1691021,"threadId":"249544","contentId":"1428121","authorDomain":"apuccine"}
  • 2 votes
Reply#7 - Mon Apr 14, 2008 4:33 PM EDT
{"commentId":1692067,"authorDomain":"MinnieApolis"}
MinnieApolis

Not a comic book --- I smell a movie script in there somewhere. Something along the lines of "It Could Happen to You". (about the cop and waitress who split their share of a lottery ticket)
Yeah, we gotta think casting decisions. Who should play the sneaky Red Sox fan? I think Samuel L Jackson. He can play motivated. Maybe Billy Bob Thornton. Then send in Ed Harris to retrieve the shirt and save the Yankees from a curse.

{"commentId":1692067,"threadId":"249544","contentId":"1428121","authorDomain":"MinnieApolis"}
    Reply#8 - Mon Apr 14, 2008 9:45 PM EDT
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