Curse of the Colonel

[rhd]

The Hanshin Tigers currently are playing for the Japan League crown (series tied 1-1). They seem to loosely resemble the Chicago Cubs, including a supposed curse. I think this article is hilarious:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curse_of_the_Colonel

There also is a recent article describing this at http://baseballcontinuum.com/2014/10...f-the-colonel/ but I think the wikipedia article is funnier. As the article notes, the statue (most of it) has been recovered, and it is currently displayed near the Tigers' home park, Koshien Stadium. You can find pictures of it on the web, which I also think is hilarious. Randy Bass (born the same day I was!) I believe currently is in the state legislature in Oklahoma.

[joncarlos]

That is pretty awesome. However...

1. It's only been 19 years. Come back and talk to the Cubs fans in another 80.

2. They signed Hideki Irabu on purpose. So they kind of deserve whatever they get.

[rhd]

That is pretty awesome. However...

1. It's only been 19 years. Come back and talk to the Cubs fans in another 80.

2. They signed Hideki Irabu on purpose. So they kind of deserve whatever they get.

Yeah, not nearly as long as the Cubs, but it's been 29 years since their last title, not 19. And there are only 12 teams in the Japan League so 29 years is about 2.5 times the number of teams, so equivalent to about 75 years for MLB.

[rhd]

And the curse continues. Hanshin loses the series to the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks 4-1, dropping the final game 1-0. The colonel wants his left hand back before he'll break the curse!

[Pogues]

Yeah, not nearly as long as the Cubs, but it's been 29 years since their last title, not 19. And there are only 12 teams in the Japan League so 29 years is about 2.5 times the number of teams, so equivalent to about 75 years for MLB.

Except the Cubs curse survived from 1909 to 1961 with only 16 teams in the league, or 53 years. Only 4 more teams and 24 years longer.

[rhd]

Except the Cubs curse survived from 1909 to 1961 with only 16 teams in the league, or 53 years. Only 4 more teams and 24 years longer.

Right. Cubs futility streak much longer. But they seem like Japan's version of the Cubs not only because of the streak but also because there's a supposed curse involved and they are a very popular team in spite of their sub-par on-field play. And they also play in a revered old stadium like the Cubs do - Koshien Stadium, where they hold the famous HS tournaments.

[Pogues]

Right. Cubs futility streak much longer. But they seem like Japan's version of the Cubs not only because of the streak but also because there's a supposed curse involved and they are a very popular team in spite of their sub-par on-field play. And they also play in a revered old stadium like the Cubs do - Koshien Stadium, where they hold the famous HS tournaments.

I was just disputing your "equivalent to about 75 years for MLB" hypothesis.