Many baseball fans are familiar with the legend of the “billy goat curse” of the Chicago Cubs, and later the Cubs’ futile attempts to dispel the “curse,” but have any ever heard of an “alligator curse?”
More from MLB
- After frantic trade day, Kiké Hernandez grateful for second chance with Dodgers
- Braves Rumors: 3 trade targets Vaughn Grissom can help Atlanta acquire
- NY Mets leave Justin Verlander in the dark at trade deadline
- This White Sox-Dodgers trade for bullpen help could lead to LA reunion
- MLB Rumors: Surprise team emerges in Cody Bellinger sweepstakes
Apparently, it exists, and apparently, an Arizona Diamondbacks affiliate in the High-A California League isn’t going to take any chances in an effort to end a drought.
So, logically, the best way for the Visalia Rawhide to end its championship drought, is to bring out a five-foot alligator before last night’s game against the Lancaster JetHawks:
Yep, that's a live, 5-ft alligator...on a baseball field...before Game 2. Because why not? @MiLB pic.twitter.com/J8mlmmKXRl
— Donny Baarns (@DonnyBaarns) September 13, 2014
Apparently the Rawhide haven’t won the California League since 1978, and a player on its last championship team had a pet alligator. So naturally, THAT’S the reason the team hasn’t won a championship in 36 years. Your players haven’t had the correct pets. The Rawhide ended up being shut out by Lancaster, 3-0:
Rawhide shut out by Lancaster 3-0; ran into 3 outs on the bases, and they were critical. Series now tied 1-1, heading to the desert.
— Donny Baarns (@DonnyBaarns) September 13, 2014
Perhaps the players made those three base running errors because I don’t know, they were distracted? By maybe a live alligator their team was using to end a dry spell?
There’s a bit more to the story, as a post on Big League Stew explains, and as if this story couldn’t get any weirder, it involves former Cleveland Indians Rookie of the Year “Super” Joe Charboneau, as the infamous pet alligator owner, who owned one named Chopper, who lived in his bathtub. Chopper mysteriously died under the watch of a teammate during the offseason, and the spirit of the alligator is blamed for the team’s misfortune. Not, y’know, base running mistakes and a lack of offense.