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 out of the tournament after losing consecutive games to DragonBorns and Team Acer, and disbanded shortly afterwards. On 24 January 2013, Team Curse announced the formation of a "League of Legends" B-team, called Curse Academy. The announced roster was Keenan "Rhux" Santos, Christian "IWillDominate" Rivera, Eugene "Pobelter" Park, Johnny "Altec" Ru, and Orie "YoDa" Guo. In the first month after the team's inception, YoDa was replaced by David "Pixel" Zarinski This roster was not eligible to compete in the North American League of Legends Championship Series (NA LCS), given IWillDominate's then-ongoing ban, and Altec and Pobelter being ineligible due to