MLB Curses! Trivia Quiz

Answer: Boston Red Sox

Rumor had it that Red Sox owner Harry Frazee sold him actually for a song, a set of songs that later bombed on Broadway. In addition to Ruth, Frazee shipped a few Red Sox stars to what would later become the Bronx Bombers: Eddie Shore, Carl Mays (best known for throwing the beanball that killed Ray Chapman as a Yankee), even manager Ed Barrow would join the Yankees as General Manager and earn a ticket to the Hall of Fame as a result.

The Sox? They were lucky to survive bankruptcy after the Frazee affair, but still endured many years of ill-advised deals with the Yankees (Red Ruffing? Sparky Lyle?) and plenty of 7th game disappointments in the World Series before finally winning it all again in 2004.

Answer: Chicago White Sox

Bill Cissell was sold to the White Sox for one of the highest sums ever paid for a rookie. He never lived up to his promise, and would die destitute and impoverished in 1949 after working maintenance at Comiskey Park for several years. Many attributed a haunting presence at the old Comiskey Park to a "Cissell Curse".

Answer: Randy Bass

A former MLB journeyman, Bass joined Japan's Hanshin Tigers in 1983. He would help the oft-maligned Tigers win their first championship two years later, and overjoyed fans celebrated the victory by having look-alikes of players jump into a canal. As Bass had no look-alike, a statue of Colonel Sanders was stolen from a local KFC, and dumped into the canal with the revelers.

The Tigers' fortunes plummeted quickly after, and some related this to a curse put on the team by the Colonel himself.

Answer: 1945

It is said that local tavern owner William "Billy Goat" Sianis put a curse on the Chicago Cubs after his pet goat, Murphy, was denied admission to Game 4 of the 1945 World Series.

Answer: Cleveland Indians

Although Colavito played at one time or another for all four teams, he first made his mark in Cleveland. After leading the AL in homers in 1959, he was dealt to Detroit for Harvey Kuenn (ironically, 1959s AL batting champ) in an unpopular trade. While Colavito would continue to be among the league leaders in home runs in the early '60s, Kuenn would last just a single season with the Indians before being dealt to the Giants.

The Indians did not finish less than 11 games out of first place for more than three decades hence, even after reacquiring Colavito in a 1965 trade.

Answer: The Krukow Kurse

Many of the Giants' failures to win the World Series have been attributed to broadcaster Mike Krukow's extreme preseason optimism.

Answer: The Curse of Ernie Banks

Banks is loved in Chicago, and has been given the moniker "Mr. Cub". The Billy Goat curse was allegedly put on the team after game 4 in 1945 by a disgruntled goat owner whose pet was refused entry to a game at Wrigley Field. The Curse of Merkle stems from a 1908 incident at the Polo Grounds when the Cubs won the pennant and subsequent World Series after taking advantage of a Giant rookie's baserunning mistake.

The Ex-Cubs Factor says that any team carrying three or more former Cubs is doomed to failure.

Answer: 2004 Boston Red Sox

Although the Red Sox didn't have the three former Cubs, the 2004 New York Yankees had five. Is it just irony that the Yankees would suffer perhaps the greatest postseason collapse ever, while the Red Sox would overcome their own Curse of the Bambino?

Answer: Don Mattingly

Mattingly's MLB career (1982-1995) bookended two Yankee pennants. Furthermore, Mattingly joined the team as a coach in 2004 season in which the Yankees would suffer one of the greatest playoff collapses in sports history. Is there a Curse of Donnie Baseball? Some say yes.

Answer: Philadelphia Phillies

The Phillies won their first championship in 1980. They were a member of the National League even before the advent of the World Series. Although they fielded many competitive teams during the 19th century and even into the teens, they were never able to take the final step.

By the 1920s, they had fallen on hard times due to financial mismangement. The Phillies would become the first sports team ever to lose 10,000 games, and no popular curse was given as a reason for their futility.