For nearly a century, the Boston Red Sox were defined by futility and near misses. From crushing losses in the 1940s to the heartbreak of 1975, from Bucky Dent in 1978 and the infamous "Buckner Game" in 1986 to Aaron Boone’s blast in 2003, Red Sox fans knew what it meant to lose painfully. All of it was blamed on the “Curse of the Bambino,” a hex said to have haunted the team ever since they traded Babe Ruth to their archrivals in 1920. The Yankees flourished, while the Sox struggled to escape the curse's grip.

But in 2004, everything changed.

“The Curse Breakers” relives the unforgettable journey of the 2004 Red Sox — a team of misfits and underdogs known as "the Idiots" — who defied the odds to break the curse that had loomed over Fenway Park for 86 years. With insights from key players, coaches, die-hard fans, and Boston Globe journalists, the series takes you behind the scenes of one of the greatest sports stories ever told.

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On Sept. 12 1974, after a landmark court case forced Boston Public Schools to desegregate, big yellow school buses drove slowly through crowds of anti-busing protestors yelling slurs and hurling rocks.

Earline Pruitt, one of the plaintiffs of the lawsuit, decided to send her daughter Denise on one of those school buses. 50 years later, in an this emotional recounting of that time, Denise and Earline shared their memories with reporter Ivy Scott and reflected on how this period that came to be known as Boston's 'busing crisis' affected them then and now.

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An occasional podcast from The Boston Globe. Listen for news that hits home.

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