Hey, it's me. The Babe.

No, not the billboard baby with the Cubs hat. You know, the Bambino.

This Wilson character took the week off and he asked me to fill in -- in honor of the Red Sox clinging to hopes of a championship. Again.

First of all, let's get one thing straight: There is no curse.

It's not my fault the Red Sox fail in the fall. If you follow the history of the team, you know it's worse than those reality TV soap operas.

If I would have had my way, Carl Yastrzemski's home run would have been foul. Instead it was fair, and the Red Sox did the rest. Did I tap Billy Buckner on the shoulder and make him take his eye off the ball in the 1986 World Series? Of course not.

And what about Bucky Dent? Maybe that was partially my fault, since he ate my candy bar before smashing a home run over the Monster that day. I guess I kind of gave him the energy.

The truth is, people find it easy to cheer for the Red Sox because of their history. People have always lived difficult lives, and the Red Sox are a difficult team.

There's something to be said about the fans that are loyal to the team. That's why I didn't "curse" them. That's just something blamed by nitwits who are too proud to admit the Red Sox are chokers.

But what happens when the Red Sox don't choke?

Boston would party for weeks. It would make a Bruce Springsteen concert look like Barney on Ice. And all the thousands of fans still holding out for a championship to come to Boston would finally rest.

And everyone would wake up the next morning, and then what?

Then it would be time to read your week ahead:

Today

There's no way the Rams would be favored by 11 points going into tonight's game against the Falcons if Mike Vick were playing. But he's not, so take the Rams to cover. Falcons at Rams at 8 p.m.

Tuesday

Top-ranked Notre Dame runs down the road to play Central in volleyball. Central, despite its record, is improved this year, and Notre Dame is eventually going down -- probably not on this night, though. 7 p.m.

Friday

Tyler McNeely told me after Jackson's football win over Central last week that the Indians expect to win every game. If they win this one, they might cruise into the playoffs. Poplar Bluff at Jackson, 7 p.m.

Saturday

Things couldn't get much worse for Vanderbilt. Not only is the university essentially removing its athletic department, the football team is --again --in the cellar. Fourth-ranked Georgia visits Nashville, Tenn. at 1 p.m. See the Vanderbilt football team before they get rid of that, too.

The Blues play their home opener against the Washington Capitals at 7 p.m. Speaking of things closing down: The NHL might not be around much longer, so go while you still can. If anyone has tickets, you can find me in the Club (club level, that is).

David Wilson is a senior at Central High School and a sports writer for the Southeast Missourian. His column appears each Monday.