This Season’s Yankees/Red Sox Rivalry

It is a hatred and rivalry worthy to that of the Hatfields and the McCoys, but without the bloodshed, at least yet. I am speaking of the rivalry between baseball’s Yankees and the Boston Red Soxs. When I was a boy, I heard about the referees for soccer or Cricket being wise to be fleet of foot just in case they make a wrong call. We all know how serious the Europeans take their football… with the well documented rows among the hooligans. I am afraid that the rivalry this season between Yankee and Red Soxs fans will not matched the passions of the both teams fans will be somewhat cold because the Red Soxs are faltering to the point that they may not even make the playoffs.

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="480" caption="The Boston Red Sox, Photo Credit: Wheelo28"][/caption]

I am also certain that the Yankees fans are not losing sleep over their rivals, Red Soxs Nation (this is what the Red Soxs fans are collectively called) misfortunes. Boston is not even winning half of their games and in their Eastern division; they are already nine games back of the first place team. There is wailing in Red Sox Nation and guess what, it is not so much what the Yankees have done, but that the Florida Rays are in first place with the Yankees being second.  In addition, what is so telling about the Red Soxs’ failure this year is that they have the second highest payroll in baseball, while the Rays has one third of that of the Yankees or the Red Soxs.’

No doubt, if the baseball standings remain as they are, Red Sox Nation will be rooting for the Rays or anyone that is a threat to the “Empire”- The term “Empire,” which is used pejoratively and as a metaphor for the Yankees, was taken from the Star Wars movies. To take the Star Wars references to their logical end, then, I supposed that Derek Jeter is the “Sith” lord and George Steinbrenner, who owns the Yankees, is Darth Vader.

I will miss the spirited banter between the Yankee and Red Sox fans – of course the Red Soxs can be spoilers, a situation they would relish. Such is the hatred of the Red Sox Nation… that they would use surrogates to do their dirty work, like rooting for the Rays; but who am I kidding, the Yankee fans would do the same if they were in the Soxs’ situation. It is true, that my thesis on the current baseball standings and their ramifications may be premature; however, if I am wrong, I will makes amends and eat my words. As a Yankee fan, if the Rays is our rival in the playoffs, it is hard for me to feel the visceral passion I would feel if it were the Red Soxs - I supposed that makes me ambivalent about the Red Soxs less than stellar play so far this season. I have always thought that there is some gifted writer out there with the wherewithal who can write a novel with the central theme being that America’s fictional second Civil War was started because of the Yankee/Red Sox rivalry.

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