Theo Epstein appointed Epstein to replace interim general manager (GM) Mike Port. Epstein is credited with initiating the trade of Nomar Garciaparra and making key contract acquisitions including those of Kevin Millar and Curt Schilling during his first tenure as Red Sox GM. The new players were regarded as instrumental in breaking the so-called "Curse of the Bambino" when the Red Sox defeated the St. Louis Cardinals in the 2004 World Series. It was the Red Sox' first World Series championship since 1918, ending what remains the third longest championship drought in the history of any Major League team, after the Chicago
Team Curse on 2 November 2013, Curse Academy were knocked out by Napkins in Disguise in the last round, narrowly missing out on a seed. The team would be knocked out in the group stage of the second qualifier later that month, and so failed to qualify for the Promotion Tournament. On 31 December, OneBadBrad announced that he had left Curse Academy, and on 6 January 2014, Tsatsulow was replaced by Nicolas "Gleebglarbu" Haddad, and Patrick "Titours" Lefort also joined. Gleebglarbu left the team to join Cloud9 Tempest two weeks later on 21 January, and at some point before the end of