Reverse the curse: Is this sign a sign?

April 18, 2004

The "Reverse curve" sign on Storrow Drive as it appeared until last week, when the graffiti was painted over. (Photo / Judith Hourihan)

The ancient "Reverse curve" sign above westbound Storrow Drive at the Longfellow Bridge, which long ago was altered by graffiti to read "Reverse the curse," was recently cleaned up, and some Red Sox fans aren't happy. They say the sign could bring good luck to the Sox, who haven't won a World Series since 1918 and who some say have been cursed since they sold Babe Ruth to the Yankees. The folks over at the Department of Conservation and Recreation, who manage Storrow Drive (and are Sox fans themselves), argue that if the altered sign hasn't brought the Sox a World Series yet, maybe it's actually a bad omen.

Now we want to hear from you: What should be done about the sign? DCR suggests the following three options:

1. Keep the current sign and continue to correct the sign each time it is altered.

2. Remove the old sign because it hasn't broken the curse yet and may, in fact, be contributing to its continuance. Install a new sign that meets federal highway standards (yellow diamond with pictograph).

3. Remove the old sign, find the employees who installed it, and have them present it to the Red Sox as a means of breaking the curse.

Tell us which option you prefer, or weigh in with an original suggestion of your own.

Page 7

Typical idiotic fandom: 1) The Curse, if it exists, is having to listen to whining idiots like those who bemoan "The Curse." 2) If the curse somehow did exist, the DOCR is right: it obviously hasn't brought one damned bit of luck, so what the hell are they talking about? 3) If I were the Red Sox, I wouldn't acknowledge anything that has to do with this idiotic BS. If I had my way, anyone uttering the words "curse" and "Red Sox" in the same sentence would be banned from Fenway Park Pete Rose-style. 4) Overall, yet another thing that makes me embarassed to be a Red Sox fan. When they do finally win one, I will be perhaps happier for not having to listen to them anymore. And when the last "curse"-invoking whiner is dead, I will personally pay for another ticker tape parade to celebrate. v/r Robert McTague

Frank , Kuwait

leave reverse the curse on the sign and it looks like they should be more concerned about the rusty bridge.

jan , carlisle, pa

I am from Springfield Mass and would love to see the curse broken. I have always believed in the curse and would love to see it broken!! I would come up there myself and hang the sign in Fenway if I thought it would help :) Kay

Kay , Brewster, New York

The "reverse the curse" sign helps drivers as much as most other signs in Boston - leave it alone!

fred, needham

being tradional by keeping the sign on storrow drive seems like the way to go

Amy, Ellsworth, Me.

I say take the sign and leave it as is- then hang it in the visitors bullpen.

Julia, Cambridge

There is no curse. Please stop with this foolishness. Just stop.

Hoss, Boston

To me the reverse the curse sign is a symbol of Boston that must remain. I am originaly a Brookline native who is in school in the Bronx less than a mile from Yankee stadium and everytime I return to Boston (particularly in October) I drive from Logan airport underneath the Reverse the Curse sign. Driving underneath that changed sign reminds me of the passion of Red Sox fans, of the total imersion of Red Sox nation into our obsession with everything red sox. To us every little detai in life is somehow related to the Sox and our eternal quest to squash the Yankees. The fact that one impassioned individual was somehow able to change that sign to reflect Boston's passion and determination to "Reverse the Curse" is both a symbol of our definance and our perserverance against the evil empire. I am shocked to find out that the sign was removed and even more shocked to find out that it may be gone forever. Please for the sake of all fans who make the long trek back from the wasteland that is New York to lovely Beantown place the Reverse the Curse sign back on top of Storrow Drive as a reminder to all generations that we must place all our devotion into "Reversing the Curse"

Ben , Bronx, NY

Why don't they keep the "reverse the curse sign" and also install a new sign below or next to the original that meets the federal highway standard? Who says you can't have two signs?

dave , concord, nh

I am a huge baseball fan from Minnesota, so the Twins are my team, but I will always love the Red Sox because of their writers, ballpark, history, and fans. I know the difference between good fans and bad, and I haven't seen better fans anywhere than Boston. You all deserve a huge hand and a replica of the world series trophy the Red Sox will win this year. I don't remember ever seeing the sign, but I have ridden the subway to Fenway, I heard "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" in the tunnel, and I know that someone will repaint "Reverse the Curse" and this discussion will repeat itself again. Go Red Sox, and thank you fans for making your wonderful city baseball heaven.

Vanna , Northfield, MN