The baseball season is beginning to come to a close with a mere 30 to 35 games left, and is as usual, being vastly overshadowed by the NFL and College Football. One thing is almost always for certain. The Yankees and Red Sox will be going at it come October! Minus last year, when the Yankees missed the playoffs for the first time since 1993, the Yankees and Red Sox have really reignited their once unheralded rivalry to the top of the sporting nation again.
This year appears to be no different as both teams have all but solidified their playoff berths. The Yankees have gotten the job done this year by scoring the most runs in the American League, while the Red Sox, still a heavy run producing team have given up the second least runs in the AL. Many people say, "Of course the Yankees and Red Sox are going to be playing in October, they have the most money." Though they do both have very high player salaries, they definitely have brought a great level of consistency to the game. Come October, as much as most people appear to hate these teams, it is what they really want.
Even if you live in Chicago, other than your Cubs or White Sox, you want to see the Yankees take on the Red Sox at Fenway. It is the ultimate matchup in sports. It's history and legacy are unparalleled. Both of these franchise have developed such a hatred for each other, that the entire country has jumped on the bandwagon. In my eyes it is the OSU Michigan Rivalry times 10. It is the North Carolina Duke rivalry times 100. There is no question in my mind that this rivalry encapsulates more of the country than any other rivalry even though it is 2 teams from very similar geographical areas.
What would October be without the boys in the Pinstripes flexing their muscles and the Red Sox showing off their shaggy facial hair looks?
The Yankees have not won a series since 2000, and may not win this year, but would you want the playoffs to be any other way? If your specific team that you are a die hard for is not playing in the playoffs, who would you rather see go head to head than the Yankees and the Red Sox?
So my question to you for today, "Is the Yankees vs Red Sox the best rivalry in sports, and if not what is?
Stay tuned for Edition 8 of the Blog coming soon.
-Kraze
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My man, I respect the opinion but strongly disagree. Rivalries are forged in passion, and while I'm not saying there is no passion in this match-up I am saying you can't maintain the same level of passion as teams that play 1-2 times a year when you play each other 10 times. It just doesn't keep its interest because the individual games carry less weight. Michigan v Ohio State literally determines if a team makes a title game. Duke v North Carolina takes place twice, often to determine who will be atop the ACC. The Boston New York rivalry just doesn't carry that with a 162 game season and 10 or more meetings a year. For that reason I think it is a great rivalry but not the best.
ReplyDeleteThese 2 storied franchises meet 18 times in the regular season and if they meet in the playoffs..well its best of 7. In addition, the 18 times that they play, normally has a very large weight on who wins the AL East Title just like those other two games help in determining conference champions..In addition, whether you are into baseball or not, you have an opinion on the Yankees Red Sox and sport one of these 2 teams hats..your points are very valid but I feel like those other rivalries are great..but do not touch "The Rivalry"
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