So what if the Boston Red Sox are just a game above .500 and five games behind the New York Yankees in the standings? I'm looking forward to this weekend and I'm sure many fans on both sides of the Rivalry are.
Let's not forget that the Yankees lost the first eight games of the regular season series to the Red Sox before winning nine of the last 10 to finish even in 2009. Of course, the Yanks never got a chance to best Boston in the playoffs en route to the World Series title. That could still happen this year.
But the Red Sox have a lot of problems. A much-discussed attempt to become a pitching-and-defense oriented team has so far fallen flat, a couple of their outfielders are spending time on the disabled list and Big Papi David Ortiz is experiencing a painful, although not unexpected, decline. Boston's issues make me feel a little bit better about the nagging injuries to three of the Yankees main cogs (Andy Pettitte, Mariano Rivera and Jorge Posada) as well as the mystifying slump of Alex Rodriguez.
So even though Tampa Bay is ahead of the Yankees in the American League East, it's hard to get as excited for a series against the Rays. There's too much history and heat between New York and Boston for the Rivalry to ever really simmer down.
Let's not forget that the Yankees lost the first eight games of the regular season series to the Red Sox before winning nine of the last 10 to finish even in 2009. Of course, the Yanks never got a chance to best Boston in the playoffs en route to the World Series title. That could still happen this year.
But the Red Sox have a lot of problems. A much-discussed attempt to become a pitching-and-defense oriented team has so far fallen flat, a couple of their outfielders are spending time on the disabled list and Big Papi David Ortiz is experiencing a painful, although not unexpected, decline. Boston's issues make me feel a little bit better about the nagging injuries to three of the Yankees main cogs (Andy Pettitte, Mariano Rivera and Jorge Posada) as well as the mystifying slump of Alex Rodriguez.
So even though Tampa Bay is ahead of the Yankees in the American League East, it's hard to get as excited for a series against the Rays. There's too much history and heat between New York and Boston for the Rivalry to ever really simmer down.
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