Curse of the Billy Goat, meet the Curse of the Bambino; Bambino, meet Billy Goat.

I think it was Stephen King who pointed out that a Cubs-Red Sox World Series would violate the laws of physics, since neither team could win. Perhaps the Powers That Be, in their infinite wisdom, saw to it that this potentially world-shattering conundrum did not come to pass. Perhaps Babe Ruth's ghost is in league with Bill Sianis' pet goat, and they're both having a good laugh about this in Hell. Perhaps George Steinbrenner - in league with the Trilateral Commission, the Knights Templar and, oh, let's say the Salvation Army - used black magic to keep the owners on Yawkey Way from signing a decent pitcher, bribed Manny Ramirez into taking a mental holiday in August, and hypnotized "The Fan" in Chicago to snag that foul boul out of Moises Alou's grasp in Game Six of the NLCS to ensure that the Sox and the Cubbies were held back from their rightful places as pennant winners this year.

Or maybe both teams just blew it. "The Fan" notwithstanding, the Cubs managed to drop three games in a row; and the Sox enjoyed a commanding 5-2 lead in Game 7 last night until Grady Little made the inexplicable decision to keep a weary Pedro Martinez on the mound into the eighth inning, when he had a bullpen that had proven surprisingly competent throughout the postseason still at his disposal.

Some people really think there are curses at work here, but most of us know better. In the end, it's about pitching, it's about payroll, and it's about professionalism. It's about not giving up, even when you're facing elimination three games in a row or when you're down by three runs with the (arguably) best pitcher in baseball opposing you. And most importantly, it's about not believing that there larger forces beyond your control that determine your destiny. The more the Curses of the Bambino and the Billy Goat are invoked as the reasons why the Sox and the Cubs lose, the more they actually become the reasons why they lose, until we reach a point at which past history looks and feels like inevitability. I don't know much players let themselves be drawn into this supernatural sinkhole, but when fans and pundits alike take it as an article of faith that we are a cursed team, how can even a professional not follow suit, if only a little bit?

Forget an exorcist - what this town needs is a good sports psychologist! That goes for Chi Town as well.

In the meantime, I guess we'll wait until next year. Will Grady Little keep his job? Will the Sox keep Nomar? Will the owners finally land a decent pitcher (and will Pedro's arm last another season)? Interesting questions all of them, and to me far more interesting than who will win the 2003 World Series...