The Red Sox are coming! The Red Sox are coming! Oh, what it might have been. Not since 1918, yes, that once unspeakable year for Sox fans, not since that year have the Sox met up with the Cubs in a regular season game.

Now, the Sox have gone and spoiled all that. They are the World Champion Red Sox.

The loveable and losing Cubs are left alone to ponder the plight of decades without a banner raising, without the rings, without the issue of who gets ownership to the last out ball.

Today the Sox will play at Wrigley Field, North Side, Chicago, Illinois. The Cub fans and media have been pining all week at what this match up might have been.

There was a commonality, a kinship, a touch of brotherhood to be shared. See, say Cub fans, we too show up and watch and wait. We could have shared that with you, but no, you ruined the whole party.

Worse, we must watch one of us who was one of you receive his World Series ring. Even worse, Nomar Garciaparra came to us to end our drought and now he is hurt and can’t play.

Will he smile as the ring is placed on his finger remembering his days at Fenway while we stand and applaud, wondering what are we doing applauding a ring award to a Cub who didn’t win it as a Cub – never mind.

Beware Sox fans, say the Cub faithful. If we can’t win the whole thing with our players we can try to win them with yours.

Johnny Damon will play for you tonight, but we need a leadoff hitter. Damon is a free agent at the end of the year and would fit right in on the North side.

Even Damon is providing grist for the negotiation mill by saying this week of the possible move or staying in Boston, “I’ll be all right either way. They know what they’ll get-a winner.”

Ah, that will be our revenge for denying us this weekend of joint wailing and commiserating. We will sign all those free agents you have at the end of the year and you will have to watch us win with them.

Then again, this week a black cat came on the field, ran down the third base line and took a right turn into the stands. We (for Cub fans it is always “we” and “they”) blew a lead. Now everyone’s showing that stupid cat on TV and talking about another curse.

Another curse? Who needs another one? We haven’t gotten over the goat thing yet and now Wrigley is becoming an animal farm of curses.

Curses? You show up and our two best pitchers, Kerry Wood and Mark Prior are only pitching about 4 hours before games. Prior can’t throw from the mound and Wood is throwing to teammates.

You want curses, we’ll show you curses. Baltimore is in first place with OUR Sammy Sosa. The White Sox are in first place in their division. We’re playing .500 at the friendly confines.

And you’re the World Series Champs. Misery loves company and you destroyed all that.

Curses.

Old Town native Gary Thorne is an ESPN and ABC sportscaster.