Baseball is about nothing if not statistics and superstition. Everything in baseball is a statistic. And superstition is a big player in the sport. So, earlier today, I went to a local sporting goods store and purchased a new Red Sox cap. The one I have is five years old, worn, and faded. And it was purchased at Fenway. If the Sox had been playing tonight at Fenway, I probably wouldn't have bought a new one. But since they weren't playing at Fenway, and my hat was purchased there, I thought it high time to get a new one.

Did my purchase today in any way affect the outcome of tonight's game? Unlikely. But it was just something I felt I should do. I'm generally not superstitious, but when it comes to baseball, all bets are off.

Congratulations to the Red Sox. It only took eighty-six years to lift the curse, and now they're the king of the hill, at least for a year. Of course, if they go another eighty-six without winning, they'll have nothing to blame it on but the fact that they have a huge tendency to choke at the worst possible times. And that they suck in general a lot of the time.

But this was their year. After hearing all the talk about the Cards being the best team in baseball, they sure as hell didn't look like it during the World Series. The Sox steamrolled them. Just like they did the Yankees, at least during the last four games. Eight straight wins in a single post-season. Another new record.

Finally, Bill Buckner can get a good night's sleep.