MLB: A-Rod's Omen

The red-tailed hawk, also dubbed the "chicken hawk," is a noble bird of prey, common to North America. As much as home in the wilderness as it is in urban areas, it is an opportunistic bird, chomping down on small rodents—namely rabbits, mice, pheasant and quail—when the opportunity presents itself.  

A fine example of its species can be found nesting inside of Fenway Park. 

In fact, there are two living inside the home of the Boston Red Sox, sharing space with the likes of Manny Ramirez and Kevin Youkilis.  

Apart from the grounds crew and some team officials, not many are aware the hawks have found a home in Fenway. 

A thirteen-year-old Connecticut girl is now keenly aware of their existence after she was attacked by one of them.   

The girl was visiting the park, as part of a class trip, when the bird moved in.  A picture of the attack shows the hawk taking a solid swipe at the back of the girl's head with its talons, her long hair askew, the red tail feathers of the majestic creature clearly visible as it soars away from the scene of the crime.

The girl was taken to hospital but apparently sustained nothing more than a gash to the scalp.  She also has one helluva story to tell.  

The two hawks had set up a nest under the press box behind home plate. It seems the amorous love birds had been busy laying a couple of eggs and, as any good mother will tell you, moms can be very protective of their children.

Still, the question remains, why did the bird attack this particular girl? 

She was certainly not standing alone near the nest; her entire class was passing through this particular section of Fenway when the hawk made its move.  

Perhaps, however, it has something to do with the girl's name:  Alexa Rodriguez.

In ancient Rome, augurs, or priests, used to interpret the will of the Gods by studying the flights of birds.  If this bird was on a mission from the Gods of baseball, it's possible the Fenway hawk got its Alexa's and Alex's mixed up.  

As near as anyone can tell, there is no relation between Alexa and Alex Rodriguez, the New York Yankees sluggers reviled by fans of the Red Sox Nation and also Jose Canseco.

But if this an omen, if the Gods of baseball are foretelling a message through the beady eyes of a confused chicken hawk, then perhaps A-Rod might want to be careful the next time he ventures in to the heart of Red Sox Nation. 

Indeed, he may want to take note of this particular passage in the Book of Revelation Chapter 13 (A-Rod's number!):

"Here is wisdom.  Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast; for it is the number of a man; and his number is 666."