NY Yankees vs. Boston Red Sox Rivalry

One of the bitterest rivalries in Major League Baseball is based not only on wins and losses, but also on geographic and lifestyle supremacy for the Northeastern United States. If you root for the New York Yankees or the Boston Red Sox, choosing one side or the other is distinctly mandatory in any friendly or romantic relationship. Couples have been known to break up if they both did not support the same team.

For Red Sox fans, it is the civility of hard-working Boston and New England versus the loud, uncouth, and arrogant New York lifestyle where money can buy championships, and often does. For Yankees fans, it is enough knowing that your team has the best record of success in MLB history.

Boston and New York have long battled to be seen as being the most important city in America. For the first 100 years of U.S. history, Boston, being the main port city to Europe, not only had the best colleges and universities, but also the best factories and jobs. By the late 1800's and early 1900's, the roles reversed as most of the immigrant population came into America via Ellis Island, just off the coast of New York. This factor, plus the rise of Wall Street as America's financial center, allowed New York to forever pass Boston in national and international importance.

During the first few decades of modern organized baseball, the Red Sox were the elite team and the Yankees often finished last in the standings. At the peak of the Red Sox success, and as Boston was trying to downplay New York's new role in the world, the Red Sox owner did the unthinkable.

After winning the World Series in 1918, Boston owner, Harry Frazee, heavily in debt, sold the contract of Red Sox player Babe Ruth to the hated Yankees. Ruth, also known as "the Bambino," is still arguably the greatest baseball player mankind has ever seen. Frazee sold Ruth to pay down debt, but also to produce a Broadway play. Red Sox fans didn't consider any loan repayments, all they cared about was the indignity at "giving away" the best player in baseball to New York, only to see the money gained from the transaction spent to benefit New York's Theatre District!

Red Sox faithful immediately saw the sale as a very bad omen, calling it "The Curse Of The Bambino." Few would argue the curse's validity as Boston had won five World Series in the first 19 years of the 20th Century, but after Ruth went to the Yankees, the Red Sox would not win another World Series until the 21st Century. Meanwhile, during that time, the Yankees won 39 American League Pennants and 26 World Series Championships and the Red Sox managed only four American League Pennants.

Over the years, the Red Sox finished second to the Yankees 12 times, including five straight seasons from 1998 to 2003. Many felt that Red Sox fans only seemed to be happy when they were sad. Instead of counting the days until first place might be clinched, most Red Sox fans began to wonder how they would lose this year. Starting in 1990, fans in Yankee Stadium began to remind Red Sox players of the last time Boston won the World Series by chanting "1918" each time the Red Sox came to play in the Bronx.

Though the teams met in the playoffs in 1999 and 2003, the Yankees won both series in hard fought and often bitter battles disguised as mere baseball games. By the 2004 postseason, both teams and their fans were at a fever pitch. When the Red Sox finally beat the Yankees, and then won the World Series in four straight games over the St. Louis Cardinals, the "Curse Of The Bambino" was finally laid to rest.

In 2010, the Yankees and Red Sox will begin and end the baseball season by playing each other. This will occur for the the first time since 1950.