Green: Beware of the Curse of Nomah

It is entirely possible — and indeed, increasingly plausible — that the Red Sox traded one curse in 2004 for another. We vanquished the Curse of the Bambino, but in exchange we got stuck with the Curse of Nomah, whereby all subsequent shortstops will leave at the end of the year. At this point, however, dumping Julio Lugo come December — and his four year, $36 million deal — would seem less a curse than a blessing.

Orlando Cabrera filled in admirably after Garciaparra’s departure, but his respectable 31 RBIs in 58 games and a decent .294 average didn’t tempt management. He’s now in the midst of a $32 million, four-year contract with the Angels and hitting .328 with 51 RBIs.

Then it was on to Edgar Renteria, a shy, retiring type hand-picked by Theo Epstein. He didn’t exactly take to Boston like a duck to water. More like a duck to the Exxon Valdez oil slick. His bat was a bit cooler than usual, to the tune of .276, but it was really in the field that he let his presence be felt, committing a career-high 30 errors in 2005. This year, halfway through the season, he only has seven. His batting average, like Cabrera’s, is now above .300 (.319 to be precise). The Sox had ladled out a four-year, $40 million deal, but had to pay $11 million — about a third of the remainder — just to unload him.

Alex Gonzalez next gave the job a whirl. Despite a few hot streaks, he was never known for his bat, and this, at least, hasn’t changed. He’s hitting his usual .248 this year, though he has somehow already hit 13 homers (Lugo has five). Sure, Alex has twice as many errors so far as he had in all of last season (14 and seven, respectively). But for $14 million over three years, the Reds aren’t complaining.

Not even children are safe from the Curse of Nomah. Remember former “Sox Shortstops of the Future” Hanley Ramirez and Freddy Sanchez? Sanchez has a .310 batting average over three years with the Pirates. And Ramirez, last year’s NL Rookie of the Year, is currently hitting .331. And as young’uns, both are making peanuts. Too bad they’re playing for other teams.

Yet, even rookie money would be too much to pay for Lugo’s terrible performance this year. The 22 stolen bases and 40 RBIs just don’t excuse the .197 average. When you hit below the Mendoza line in April, it’s a slow start. When that’s what you’re hitting in mid-July, however, it’s just sucktitude. Coincidence? Possibly. But probably? It’s something more … sinister. There’s no way of knowing how many innocent would-be shortstops will be afflicted by the wrath of the Nomah. If Lugo leaves, we’ll know the curse is real. If he stays? Alas, then we’ll really be cursed.

Sarah Green is a freelance writer who can be reached at sgreen@gmail.com.