Red Sox/Yankees rivalry

[Benz]

I might do a series on rivalries (and no, not just Boston's rivalries. I'm thinking Dolphins/Jets next, actually.) This will be an experiment sort-of, to see how the response is and whether or not this livens this corner of Hondo's up a bit.

 

Anywho.. I'm gonna be a bit lazy, borrow from some sites and add my own commentary. Here goes...

 

VS

 

The Red Sox – Yankees rivalry is one of the oldest, most famous and fiercest rivalries in American professional sports. Probably the oldest and fiercest and most famous of all, I'd say. For over 100 years, Major League Baseball The Boston Red Sox and The New York Yankees of the American League have been intense rivals. The rivalry is sometimes so polarizing that it is often a heated taboo subject, like religion or politics, in the Northeastern United States.Told ya.[2] Since the inception of the wild card team and an added Division Series, the American League East rivals have squared off in the American League Championship Series three times, with the Yankees winning twice in 1999 and 2003 and the Sox winning in 2004. The year the curse reversed! It won't be the last time winning either...In addition, the teams have twice met in the last regular-season series of a season to decide the league title, in 1903 (when the Red Sox won) and 1949 (when the Yankees won). The teams also finished tied for first in 1978, when the Yankees won a high-profile one-game playoff for the division title. The 1978 division race is memorable for the Red Sox having held a 14-game lead over the Yankees more than halfway through the season. Yeah, pretty retarded that that happened. Stupid curse...

 

Early days

Since before the start of the American Revolution, Boston and New York have shared an intense rivalry as cities. Yep, I think they always will be too... For more than a century afterwards, Boston was arguably the educational, cultural, artistic, and economic power in the United States. It still is! Well, maybe not economic, but the others? Boston>New York. [3] Boston's location as the closest American port to Europe and its concentration of elite schools and manufacturing hubs helped maintain this image for several decades. During this time period, New York was often looked down upon as the upstart, over-populated, dirty cousin to aristocratic and clean Boston. I still see it this way... If you really look at the two cities.. [3] New York's economic power soon outpaced Boston's in the 1800s due to its rapid population growth and terminus of the Erie Canal, along with massive growth in the manufacturing, shipping, insurance and financial services businesses. By the start of the 20th century this dynamic had completely shifted as New York had become the focus of American capitalism (especially on Wall Street), and the change was reflected in the new national pastime.

 

The Red Sox were one of the most successful teams in baseball at the turn of the 20th century and through the following two decades. They won the inaugural World Series in 1903 (as the Boston Americans; they changed their name to the Red Sox in 1908) Something the Bankees will never be able to claim. We won first. and four more between 1912 and 1918. During this period, the Yankees were often called the Highlanders, in reference to playing their games in the Washington Heights neighborhood of Manhattan. Not at all a reference to being Scottish or Irish. Speaking of which why in the name of St. Patrick are they coming out with St. Patty's day shit for the Yankees? No real Irishman would ever support that team. Not when Boston's the Irish capital of America, and until the last.. 5 years was the only team with St. Patrick's day stuff.. Anyways... Although physically located on a hilltop, the Highlanders routinely finished near the bottom of the standings. The one notable exception came in 1904, when the Highlanders, led by pitcher Jack Chesbro who won a record 41 games, met the Boston Americans in the final game of the season to decide the AL pennant. Chesbro threw a wild pitch and Boston won the pennant, but there was no World Series that year as the Giants refused to play. That would be the last time in a eighty-six years that the Red Sox would defeat the Yankees in a title-deciding game.

 

Babe Ruth sold to New York YankeesWhere it all really began...

 

Babe Ruth, prior to his trade to the Yankees In 1916, Harry Frazee purchased the Red Sox on credit for $500,000. Worst deal ever, it would turn out. Though the team won the World Series in 1918, Frazee was hard-pressed to pay off the loans he accrued by purchasing the team and by producing Broadway shows. Then sell the team to someone who can take care of it! But oh, no. This asshole had a better idea... After the Red Sox finished sixth in the American League in 1919, Frazee sold several players, including pitcher-turned-outfielder Babe Ruth, to the Yankees. Fucking asshole! Frazee received $125,000 and a loan of $300,000—secured on Fenway Park, the Red Sox' home stadium—for Ruth. This would be the first, and one of the worst double-crossings against the Red Sox in history. This also would be the start, and proof that the Bankees purchase their wins, not earn them. Fuckers.

 

Ruth's arrival in New York simultaneously launched the Yankee dynasty Yankees dynasty? I get sick everytime I think about it. while ravaging the Red Sox. Yeah, we got fucked big time. While the Red Sox' five World Series titles were a record at the time, 1918 would be the team's last championship for 86 years. Meanwhile, Ruth's home run-hitting prowess anchored the Yankee line-up, which became known as "Murderers' Row" in the late 1920s. After his trade to the Yankees, Ruth's new team reached the World Series seven times during his career in New York, winning four. This abrupt reversal of fortunes for the Red Sox marked the beginning of the supposed "Curse of the Bambino". Supposed? Motherfucker, it did happen. It WAS a curse. Shit they did everything to break it, and broke it in 2004! Eh, I'll get into the curse later on, probably a few posts later or so.. But it was not the Ruth deal alone that reversed the fortunes of both clubs.[4]No, but that's what started it. And Babe cursed the Sox for selling him. He shoulda cursed Frazee instead. He's the one who deserved it.

 

Robert W. Creamer reported that "[the] loan was made and relations between the two clubs continued to be cordial, with Frazee sending player after player to the Yankees over the next few seasons for more and more cash. MOTHERFUCKER! GET A JOB! Don't fuck over the team just because you need money. Asshole! The Red Sox soon became a baseball disaster area, finishing dead last nine times in eleven seasons."[5] Among others, Wally Schang, Everett Scott, Carl Mays, Waite Hoyt, Joe Bush and Sam Jones went from the Sox to the Yankees in the next one to three years, along with Ed Barrow, the former Red Sox manager who became the Yankees' general manager and empire-builder for the first quarter-century of the Yankees' dynasty. There's that word again... *pukes* But seriously... Damn double crossing Frazee is who started it. Damn him.

 

I'll stop here for now and continue this later or tomorrow or this weekend... lemme know what you guys think...

[Mr. Hakujin]

WIN! I lol'd at pretty much everything in bold. Well done, Greyskull!

 

Even though my regional team is the Braves, I've always rooted for the Red Sox as an Irishman.

 

Kneel before Zod!

 

A-Rod gets a face an open-handed Varitek bitchsmack!

 

2004. 2007. 2010.

Red Sox Nation. Believe Dat!

[The NZA]

surly bostonians arent fans of free agents, news at 11

 

good thread, but id say stick with the teams - culturally, you're all over the place. if you're really gonna sit there & say you've no idea why irish would root for NY, where Ellis island is and most of the irish came in from/live...i mean...its right up there with saying boston > NY as a cultural hub; i need to go bo boston, granted, but someone needs to see NY, heh. weird thread is weird.

 

good thread otherwise, carry on sir.

[Benz]

bleh, Ruth wasn't a free agent though. He wanted to be with the Sox. Frazee wanted... a broadway play. (Because broadway plays are soooo much more important than the base ball team you own..) He wanted money and he didn't care how he got it. He sold off the best players left and right and fucked Boston over. Johnny Damon? he's another story. For later. I'll give you Ellis Island, but that's a part of New York whereas Boston? The whole city is full of irish.

 

To be continued, probably this weekend as tomorrow Aarty and I have to take tests for a prospective job, and I'll be visiting my mother in the hospital. She's had her Gall Bladder out as well as a gall stone that got stuck in her tube to the liver, one more big one comes out tomorrow.

[The NZA]

best of luck to your mom's hospital stay, as well as the jobs, man.

[gunsmithx]

Hope your mom's ok.

 

BTW does anyone else find it funny that a Redsox woudl accuse the yanks fo buying championships(26 and counter right?) lol

 

btw again! allow me to break down fins/jets for when you try it.

 

J-E-T-S SUCKS SUCKS SUCKS! thats it.

 

Good work though, funny read.

[Aartemys]

Hope your mom's ok.

 

BTW does anyone else find it funny that a Redsox woudl accuse the yanks fo buying championships(26 and counter right?) lol

 

btw again! allow me to break down fins/jets for when you try it.

 

J-E-T-S SUCKS SUCKS SUCKS! thats it.

 

Good work though, funny read.

 

Heh. You know that DK refuses to pump gas at any Hess station because it's owned by the same person as the Jets? I chuckled as I pumped my Hess gas this morning...

[Benz]

best of luck to your mom's hospital stay, as well as the jobs, man.

Thanks, Nick! She had the final gall stone removed from the bile duct today. When we left her she was doing good. Temp was a bit high, but good. Jobs are going good, Aarty's waiting for an offer on Monday, and I passed my acessment today, waiting for an interview next week.

 

Hope your mom's ok.

 

BTW does anyone else find it funny that a Redsox woudl accuse the yanks fo buying championships(26 and counter right?) lol

 

btw again! allow me to break down fins/jets for when you try it.

 

J-E-T-S SUCKS SUCKS SUCKS! thats it.

 

Good work though, funny read.

 

Thanks man!

 

The Bankees have unfortunately purchased 27 World Series rings to date. The Boston Red Sox have 7 World Series victories to their name.

 

That's pretty much how I'm going to do that thread, but with some historimological facts behind it.

Heh. You know that DK refuses to pump gas at any Hess station because it's owned by the same person as the Jets? I chuckled as I pumped my Hess gas this morning...

 

Now, now... The Jets still suck...

[Benz]

Ok, on to... The Curse of the Bambino! dun dun dunnnn....

 

I figure this is as good a place as any because it fits in the time line here...

 

The Curse of the Bambino was a superstition cited as aTHE reason for the failure of the Boston Red Sox baseball team to win the World Series in the 86-year period from 1918 until 2004. (Sentance fixed for accuracy) While some fans took the curse seriously, most used the expression in a tongue-in-cheek manner.[1][2] Uh..what? Maybe Yankees fans used it tongue-in-cheek to be the asshats they always are, but here in New England? That shit was 4MOTHERFUCKINGCEREAL! LIKE LUCKY CHARMS, BITCH!

 

The curse was said to have begunbegan after the Red Sox sold Babe Ruth, sometimes called The Bambino, to the New York Yankees in the off-season of 1919-1920. Before that point, the Red Sox had been one of the most successful professional baseball franchises, winning the first World Series in 1903 and amassing five World Series titles. After the sale hold the motherfucking bus right there! THE SALE! Sale implies purchase, thus those Yankee bastards PURCHASED their first wins from the Red Sox (because of that idiot owner...)they went without a title for decades, whereas the previously lackluster Yankees became one of the most successful franchises in North American professional sports.Thanks to multiple purchases. They bought their wins. Fuckers.

 

Talk of the curse as an ongoing phenomenon ended in 2004, when the Red Sox came back from a 0-3 best-of-seven deficit to beat the Yankees in the 2004 American League Championship Series and then went on to sweep the St. Louis Cardinals to win the 2004 World Series. BIGGEST UPSET IN BASEBALL HISTORY!!! (something else the Yankees will never be able to live down, or purchase their way out of.) This message brought to you by: Choke, the official soft drink of the New York Yankees!

 

The curse had been such a part of Boston culture that when a road sign on the city's much-used Storrow Drive was vandalized from "Reverse Curve" to "Reverse The Curse", officials left it in place until after the Red Sox won the 2004 Series. They shoulda left it, I'm hoping it's in a Red Sox museum...

 

The lore

 

Although it had long been noted that the selling of Ruth had been the beginning of a down period in the Red Sox' fortunes, the curse was publicized by Dan Shaughnessy in his 1990 book, The Curse of the Bambino,[3] and became a key part of the Red Sox lore in the media thereafter. The degree to which ordinary Red Sox fans ever believed in the curse has been questioned, e.g., by Bill Simmons in his 2005 book, Now I Can Die in Peace. I gotta read those books sometime...

 

Although the title drought dated back to 1918, the sale of Ruth to the Yankees was completed January 3, 1920. In standard curse lore, Red Sox owner and theatrical producer Harry Frazee used the proceeds from the sale to finance the production of a Broadway musical, usually specified as No, No, Nanette. In fact, Frazee backed many productions before and after Ruth's sale, and No, No, Nanette did not see its first performance until five years after the Ruth sale and two years after Frazee sold the Red Sox. In 1921, Red Sox manager Ed Barrow left to take over as general manager of the Yankees. Seriously added to the problem... Other Red Sox players were later sold or traded to the Yankees as well ....by that fucker Frazee! Asshole!

 

Neither the lore, nor the debunking of it (which is a lie! You cannot debunk TRUTH!), entirely tell the story. As Leigh Montville discovered during research for his book, The Big Bam: The Life and Times of Babe Ruth[4], No, No, Nanette had originated as a non-musical stage play called My Lady Friends, which opened on Broadway in December 1919. That play had, indeed, been financed as a direct result of the Ruth deal.[4] AHA! TOLD YA! Fucking fruit bag Frazee sold off the Red Sox for a fucking play! What a dickwad!

 

Various researchers, including Montville, have rediscovered the fact that Frazee had close ties to the Yankees owners, THAT SON OF A BITCH! There are few double-crossing backstabbers in history of this caliber. WHAT A DOUCHEBAG! and that many of the player deals, as well as the mortgage deal for Fenway Park itself, had to do with financing his plays. FUCK YOUR PLAYS YOU BITCH! Baseball > Plays! WHO THE FUCK DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?! SHAKESPEARE?! I DON'T THINK SO SIR FAILSALOT!!! This coziness between ostensibly rival clubowners would benefit the Yankees in the early 1920s in much the same way as a similarly friendly relationship with the Kansas City Athletics would benefit the Yankees from the mid-1950s to the early 1960s. YOU SEE?! They fucking purchase their wins! First from the Red Sox, then the Athletics! ASSHOLES!!!

 

Chants of "1918!" began to echo at Yankee Stadium when the Red Sox played the Yankees there one weekend in September 1990.[3][5] Yankee fans would continue the chant each time the Red Sox visited the Stadium.[6][7] Yeah, typical Yankee bullshit dickishness and assholery. Biggest douchebag fans in all of sports.

 

"Cursed" results

 

Prior to Ruth leaving Boston, the Red Sox had won five of the first fifteen World Series, with Ruth pitching for the 1916 and 1918 championship teams (he was with the Sox for the 1915 Series but the manager used him only once, as a pinch-hitter, and he did not pitch). The Yankees had not played in any World Series up to that time. In the 84 years after the sale, the Yankees played in 39 World Series, winning 26 of them, twice as many as any other team in Major League Baseball. Meanwhile, over the same time span, the Red Sox played in only four World Series and lost each in seven games.

 

Even losses that occurred many years prior to the first mention of a supposed curse in 1986 have been attributed to it. Some of these instances are listed below:

 

In 1946, the Red Sox appeared in their first World Series since the sale of Babe Ruth, and were favored to beat the St. Louis Cardinals. The series went to a seventh game at Sportsman's Park in St. Louis. In the bottom of the eighth inning, with the score tied at 3-3, the Cardinals had Enos Slaughter on first base and Harry Walker at the plate. On a hit and run, Walker hit a double to very short left-center field. Slaughter ran through the third base coach's stop sign and beat Boston shortstop Johnny Pesky's relay throw to home plate. Some say Pesky hesitated on the throw, allowing Slaughter to score, but Pesky has always denied this charge. Film footage is inconclusive, except that it shows Pesky in bright sunlight and Slaughter in shadow. Boston star Ted Williams, playing with an injury, was largely ineffective at bat in the Series. I don't think it was Pesky's fault. (the same Pesky the pole in Fenway is named after, by the way) Williams (best hitter in baseball by the way) Williams normally hit above .400 (no player today can match that even WITH steroids..)

 

In 1948, the Red Sox finished the regular season tied for first place, only to lose the pennant to the Cleveland Indians in the major leagues' first-ever one-game playoff.

 

In 1949, the Red Sox needed to win just one of the last two games of the season to win the pennant, but lost both games to the Yankees, who would go on to win a record five consecutive World Series from 1949 to 1953. Fucking Yankees... Fuck 'em.

 

In 1967, the Red Sox surprisingly reversed the awful results of the 1966 season by winning the American League pennant on the last weekend of the season. In the World Series, they once again faced the Cardinals, and just as in 1946, the Series went to a seventh game. St. Louis won the deciding contest 7-2 behind their best pitcher Bob Gibson; Gibson defeated Boston ace Jim Lonborg, who was pitching on short rest and was ineffective. Gibson even hit a home run off Lonborg in the game.

 

In 1972, the Red Sox lost the division title to the Detroit Tigers by a half-game. The season began with a 13-day strike that resulted in some teams playing up to nine fewer games that season. Additionally, the Red Sox lost a game when it was rained out and the decision was made not to replay it. In the second-to-last game of the season, they lost to the Tigers, 3-1, after a potential run was lost when Luis Aparicio slipped rounding third. Damn curse... who made the decision not to finish/replay the rained out game?...

 

In 1975, the Red Sox won the pennant and met the dynastic Cincinnati Reds in the World Series. The Red Sox won Game 6 on a famous walk-off home run by catcher Carlton Fisk, setting the stage for the deciding Game 7. Boston took a quick 3-0 lead, but the Reds tied the game. In the top of the ninth, the Reds brought in the go-ahead run on a Joe Morgan single that scored Ken Griffey, Sr., winning what is regarded as one of the greatest World Series ever played.

 

In 1978, the Red Sox held a 14-game lead in the American League East over the Yankees on July 18. However, the Yankees subsequently caught fire, eventually tying Boston atop the standings on September 10 after sweeping a four-game series at Fenway Park, an event known to Red Sox fans as the "Boston Massacre." You see what names these asshat Yankee fans come up with? Assholes... Six days later, the Yankees held a 3½ game lead over the Red Sox, but the Sox won 12 of their next 14 games to overcome that deficit and force a one-game playoff on October 2 at Fenway Park. The memorable moment of the game came when light-hitting Yankee shortstop Bucky Dent cracked a three-run home run in the seventh inning that hit the top of the left field wall (the Green Monster) and skipped out of the park, giving New York a 3-2 lead. The Yankees held on to win the playoff game 5-4, Ugh... Fuck the Yankees!then defeated the Kansas City Royals in the ALCS and won their second straight World Series over the Los Angeles Dodgers.

 

In Game 6 of the 1986 World Series, Boston (leading the series three games to two) took a 5-3 lead in the top of the 10th inning. In the bottom half of the frame, Red Sox reliever Calvin Schiraldi quickly retired the first two batters, putting the team within one out of winning the World Series. However, the New York Mets scored three unanswered runs, tying the game on a wild pitch from Bob Stanley and winning it when Boston first baseman Bill Buckner allowed a ground ball hit by the Mets' Mookie Wilson to roll through his legs, scoring Ray Knight from second base. In the seventh game, the Red Sox took an early 3-0 lead, only to blow it and lose 8-5. The collapses in the last two games prompted Vecsey's articles.[8][9] As it has turned out, this would be the most recent time that the Red Sox lost even a World Series game.

 

In 1988 and 1990, the Red Sox advanced to the American League Championship Series, only to suffer four-game sweeps both times at the hands of the Oakland Athletics. They were also swept by the Cleveland Indians in the 1995 AL Division Series, extending their playoff losing streak to a major-league record 13 games, and lost again to the Indians in the 1998 ALDS three games to one and were defeated by the Yankees four games to one in the 1999 American League Championship Series.

 

In 2003, the Red Sox were playing the Yankees in Game 7 of the American League Championship Series. Boston held a 5-2 lead in the eighth inning, and manager Grady Little opted to stay with starting pitcher Pedro Martínez rather than go to the bullpen. New York rallied off the tired Martínez, scoring three runs off a single and three doubles to tie the game. In the bottom of the 11th inning, Aaron Boone launched a solo home run off knuckleballing Boston starter Tim Wakefield (pitching in relief) to win the game and the pennant for the Yankees. Yeah, but the Yankees finally got the payback they had coming to the for 86 years the following year!!!

 

Attempts to break the curse

 

Red Sox fans attempted various methods over the years to exorcise their famous curse. These included placing a Boston cap atop Mt. Everest and burning a Yankees cap at its base camp; This was great. Burning Yankees caps always helps. Seriously. I always feel better when I see a burning Yankees cap. It's a great way to relieve stress. hiring professional exorcists and Father Guido Sarducci to "purify" Fenway Park; I seriously and honestly believe this went a long way towards breaking it. Or at least started the "breaking" of it. spray painting a "Reverse Curve" street sign on Storrow Drive to change it to say "Reverse the Curse" (the sign wasn't replaced until just after the 2004 World Series win); Eh... well, it was cool. and finding a piano owned by Ruth that he had supposedly pushed into a pond near his Sudbury, Massachusetts farm, Home Plate Farm. Uh.... the fuck does that have to do with the curse? I remember something else about the residents at this farm though that I think DID have to do with the curse...

 

In Ken Burns' 1994 documentary Baseball, former Red Sox pitcher Bill Lee suggested that the Red Sox should exhume the body of Babe Ruth, transport it back to Fenway and publicly apologize for trading Ruth to the Yankees. Ok, I'll say it... that's going a little far...

 

Some declared the curse broken when, on August 31, 2004 a foul ball hit by Manny Ramírez flew into Section 9, Box 95, Row AA and struck a boy's face, knocking two of his teeth out.[10] 16-year-old Lee Gavin, a Boston fan whose favorite player was and remains Ramirez, lives on the Sudbury farm owned by Ruth. That same day, the Yankees suffered their worst loss in team history, a 22-0 clobbering at home against the Cleveland Indians. I really do think this had something to do with the curse. That's just too amazing of a coincidence... Plus the Yankees losing 22-0 is pretty fucking sweet!

 

Some fans also cite a comedy curse-breaking ceremony performed by musician Jimmy Buffett and his warm-up team (one dressed as Ruth and one dressed as a witch doctor) at a Fenway concert in September 2004. (See? something else New Englanders and Dol-fans have in common. We love Jimmy Buffet!) Just after being traded to the Red Sox, Curt Schilling appeared in an advertisement for the Ford F-150 pickup truck hitchhiking with a sign indicating he was going to Boston. When picked up, he said that he had "an 86-year old curse" to break. This and all the other curse-breaking ads that came out after the curse was broken were awesome! They had one showing all the generations of fans over the 86 years that watched and waited for the 2004 win, then it said in big letters THANK YOU. Brought a tear to my eye. Seriously.

 

Curse ReversedOH HELL YEAH!!!

 

In 2004, the Red Sox once again met the Yankees in the American League Championship Series. After losing the first three games, including a 19–8 drubbing at Fenway in Game 3, the Red Sox trailed 4-3 in the bottom of the 9th inning of Game 4. But the team tied the game with a walk by Kevin Millar and a stolen base by pinch-runner Dave Roberts, followed by an RBI single off Yankee closer Mariano Rivera by third baseman Bill Mueller, and won on a 2-run home run in the 12th inning by David Ortiz. BIG PAPI! The Red Sox would go on to take the next three games to become the first Major League Baseball team to win a seven-game postseason series after being down 3 games to none. The Yankees will never live this down!

 

The Red Sox then faced the St. Louis Cardinals, the team to whom they lost the 1946 and 1967 World Series, and won in a four-game sweep. Cardinals shortstop Edgar Rentería—who wore number 3, Babe Ruth's uniform number with the Yankees—hit into the final out of the game. Red Sox Outfielder Johnny Damon ...who would later betray the Red Sox, I still hate him for this. Boston Public Enemy #1.I'll get in to it later... , who wore number 18, hit a lead-off home run and it was the winner, as the Red Sox shut out the Cardinals 3-0.

 

The final game took place on October 27 during a total lunar eclipse—the only post-season or World Series game to do so. It also took place exactly 18 years to the day the Red Sox had last lost a World Series game.

 

Because the American League won the All-Star Game, they had home field advantage during the World Series. As a result, the "curse" was said to have died at Busch Stadium, and Damon's home run ended it. He wrote a book on how he helped break the curse. It would have sold like hotcakes if he had stayed with Boston like he said he was going to. He'd still be a hero in Boston, maybe even get a tunnel named after him like Ted Williams did. You know how much his book sells for on Amazon? 1 penny! And now the Yankees don't even want him anymore! Like i said, I'll deal with him later...

 

Well kids, I think we learned alot today. Stay tuned for the next episode! Thanks to those who read, and those who contribute to this thread!

[Benz]

It's late and I need to sleep soon, so I'll make this third installment pretty short...

 

Beginning of "1918!" chantsBy the most obnoxious fans in sports history, the Yankees fans...

 

One weekend in September 1990, when the Red Sox visited Yankee Stadium, the fans chanted "1918!" to remind the Red Sox of their most recent World Series championship. Dickheads... [6][7] After that matchup, each time the Red Sox visited Yankee Stadium, "1918!" echoed through the stadium. Among other things. Douchebags... [8][9]

 

In 1999, the Yankees and Red Sox faced each other for the first time in the ALCS. The Yankees were the defending World Series champions and in the midst of a run of three consecutive World Championships, while Boston had not appeared in the ALCS since 1990. Despite intense buildup to this historic, first-ever postseason meeting between the two longtime rivals, the series proved to be somewhat anticlimactic, with New York winning four games to one. Yup, the curse again at work... The lone bright spot for the Red Sox came in Game 3 at Boston's Fenway Park, in what had been a much anticipated pitching match-up of former Red Sox star Roger Clemens, who was now pitching for the Yankees, (I don't like it when they leave Boston for the Yankees, but I respect Clemens. Ruth, the Early team, and Damon were different stories...)and Boston ace Pedro Martínez. Martinez struck out twelve and did not allow a run through seven innings of work; Clemens was hit hard, giving up five earned runs and only lasting into the third inning of a 13–1 Red Sox victory. However, the Yankees rebounded to win Games 4 and 5, clinching the American League pennant and advancing to the Series, where they swept the Atlanta Braves. The loss to Martinez was the Yankees' only postseason loss, as the team went 11–1.

 

In 2003, the two teams faced off in the ALCS for the second time. The intensity of the series was highlighted by a protracted dispute in Game 3 which devolved into a bench-clearing altercation in which Yankees coach Don Zimmer charged Boston ace Pedro Martínez, who shoved him to the grass. Fucking dickhead. Yankees have a reputation for being violent dicks who start shit. Tied at three wins apiece after the first six grueling and fervent games, Boston held a 5-2 lead in the eighth inning of Game 7 at Yankee Stadium in New York, with Martinez on the mound. The Yankees began a one-out rally with three straight hits that cut the deficit to 5-3 and left runners on second and third base. It seemed that Martinez had tired, but Boston manager Grady Little decided to leave him in the game. This decision immediately backfired when the next batter, New York catcher Jorge Posada, blooped a double into center field that scored both runners and tied the game. In the bottom of the eleventh inning, third baseman Aaron Boone, batting .161 in the postseason to that point, hit a series-ending home run into the left field stands, winning the Yankees their 39th American League pennant. This, thankfully, was the last time the curse would hold over Boston...

 

Well, see you tomorrow kids!

[Mr. Hakujin]

 

From Wikipedia:

 

"Tessie" is both the Red Sox Anthem and also the title of a newer song by the Dropkick Murphys. The original "Tessie" was from the 1902 Broadway musical The Silver Slipper. The newer song, written in 2004, recounts how the singing of the original "Tessie" by the Royal Rooters fan club helped the Boston Americans win the first World Series in 1903.

 

"Tessie" is the second of three songs played after every Red Sox win at Fenway Park, the first being "Dirty Water" by The Standells. The third is "Joy to the World" by Three Dog Night.

[Benz]

Chris, that's awesome! I love the Dropkick Murphys! I definitely gotta see them in concert sometime, especially on a St. Patty's day. (If not this year, then maybe next year.) They're great! They also made a song for the Bruins called the Nutty. Another great example of why Boston's the Irish capital of America. Do you see an Irish American band playing for the Yankees? Hell 2 da no!

[Benz]

Time for the 4th installment... this one's just going to be a one-liner because I'm pooped after a long day. (We finally got power back at the house, been without and staying at a hotel since Thursday night because of the storm up here...)

 

April 13, 2008, Rumors of a construction worker burying a Red Sox jersey in the concrete of the New Yankee Stadium are verified after anonymous tips led to the location of the jersey. The worker, identified as Gino Castignoli, had buried a David Ortiz jersey in what will become a service corridor in the hopes of cursing the new stadium. God Bless this man! ...and damn the Yankees! After extracting the jersey from underneath two feet of concrete, Yankees' President Randy Levine indicated that the shirt would be donated to the Jimmy Fund to be auctioned for the charity long associated with the Red Sox. I hope the curse works. A win purchased victory in 2009 is just one. I hope they end up with double the current Cubs' Drought (Cubs haven't won a World series in 102 years... So 204 years of Yankees not getting it... Eh, that's a good start.

 

Jimmy Fund, great charity. Ted Williams spoke out on their behalf alot.

 

See you next time, kids!

[Benz]

This next bit doesn't contain anything about the Yankees. Why? Because fuck them, dammit.

 

Good Times Never Seemed So Good For Red Sox Fans

Neil Diamond and the Boston Red Sox are two American institutions with a very loyal following. And since the late ‘90s these two pop culture icons have been linked together through one of the more odd traditions at Fenway Park.

 

At every Red Sox home game, Diamond’s classic Sweet Caroline is played on the ballpark’s speakers before the bottom of the 8th inning. The sing-along song has become such a Fenway staple that it was even included in the 2005 movie Fever Pitch.

 

Most Sox fans, and moviegoers, are aware that Sweet Caroline is played as often at Fenway Park as The Star-Spangled Banner. But very few people know the reason why.

 

"I'm not sure how it started, but we're very pleased that it happened," Diamond's press agent, Sherrie Levy, said.

 

The song itself was born out of humble beginnings, written in less than an hour by Diamond in a Memphis hotel room the day before a recording session. It debuted as a single on June 28, 1969.

 

Sweet Caroline eventually reached #4 on the Billboard chart and over two million copies of the song were sold. But how did it become the 8th inning anthem at Fenway Park, where annual attendance easily tops two million folks?

 

Legend has it that former Red Sox public address announcer Ed Brickley requested the song to be played as a tribute to the appropriately named newborn daughter of Billy Fitzpatrick, who worked in the Fenway Park control room for 20 years.

 

In reality, the song got its start at Fenway Park thanks to Amy Tobey, who was the ballpark’s music director from 1998 to 2004. She was responsible for choosing the music to be played between innings and picked Sweet Caroline simply because she had heard it played at other sporting events.

 

At first, Tobey played the song at random games sometime between the seventh and ninth innings, and only if the Red Sox were ahead. Tobey considered the song a good luck charm and it soon became something the fans anticipated.

 

But it wasn’t until 2002, when John Henry’s group bought the Red Sox, that Sweet Caroline become an official Fenway tradition. That’s when the new ownership requested that Tobey play the song during the eighth inning of every game.

 

Today Megan Kaiser is the person who chooses the between innings songs at Fenway Park, with the 8th inning exception.

 

Kaiser did add a slightly new touch to the playback of Diamond’s tune, as she turns off the sound during the most popular parts of the song. Red Sox fans know the words by heart now so they don’t need much help with the lyrics, and the song has become an important part of the ballpark atmosphere.

 

“Singing Sweet Caroline. That's cool,” said Red Sox third basemen Mike Lowell when asked about the vibe at Fenway Park.

 

How the song became so popular in the first place is another story, and no less than the songwriter himself is mystified at the success of Sweet Caroline. “No way to explain it. That's one of the mysteries of songwriting,” says Diamond, who has written and recorded 38 Top 40 hits in his career.

 

As hard as it is to explain, Neil Diamond’s catchy song has found a place as part of Red Sox Nation lore, and by mixing Sweet Caroline with the Fenway faithful good times have never seemed so good.

 

[Benz]

Here's some more about the rivalry...

 

Red Sox, Yankees championships

 

The tone for 2004 was set early when new Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling, who confounded the Yankees in the 2001 World Series as an Arizona Diamondback Ha, ha! , appeared at an ice hockey game in Boston wearing a "Yankee hater" hat. I knew I liked him for a reason... [10] That year, the Red Sox won an eventful season series against the Yankees. A 13-inning comeback win for the Yankees on July 1 was punctuated by a catch by Derek Jeter #3 on my Skankees shit list. Actually now #2 since Damon's with the Tigers... How appropriate. #2 is #2 on my #2 list. , who ran and dove into the stands at full speed and came out with facial lacerations. Fucker. It was in the fucking stands. Probably denied some poor fan of an awesome home run ball. Asshole. The Red Sox had their own memorable comeback win on July 24, triggered by a fight between Alex Rodriguez Fuck A-Fraud! His roid rage no doubt boiled over. BTW he's #1 on my shitlist. The dude looks like the embodiement of "Douchebag". Just look at him.

See what I mean? and Jason Varitek and a subsequent bench-clearing brawl. Here it is:

Despite their success in the rivalry series, the Red Sox still finished second to the Yankees in the AL East for the seventh straight season. Both teams would advance to the ALCS for the second straight year.

 

The Yankees started out strong, winning the first three games, and putting an exclamation point on their Game 3 victory with a 19–8 win. No team in the history of baseball had ever won a best of seven series after being down three games to none. But here's where it gets good... Entering the bottom of the ninth inning of Game 4 at Fenway, Yankees reliever Mariano Rivera came in to close out a 4–3 victory and a series sweep. But after a leadoff walk, pinch-runner Dave Roberts stole second and came around to score on an RBI single by Bill Mueller. The Red Sox would win the game in the bottom of the 12th inning on a home run by David Ortiz. BIG PAPI! He's probably my faveorite Red Sox player today. Him and V-mart (Varitek). Game 5 featured another extra-inning Boston comeback, as the Red Sox tied the game in the 8th inning, and won it in the 14th. In Game 6, Curt Schilling, who had undergone ankle surgery during the series, returned to pitch seven innings of one-run ball in what would be dubbed "the bloody sock game." (Stitches from Schilling's surgery opened during the game.) ...making his sock red with blood. A Real Red Sock. Some also say this contributed to breaking the curse. I believe it. The Red Sox completed their unprecedented comeback with a blowout win in Game 7. OH HELL YEAH! Best series ever!!! This is the only time a baseball team has blown a 3-0 lead in a seven game series AHAHAHAHAHA You'll never live this down Yankees! NEVER! Yankees CHOKED!!! (Through the 2009 season) The Red Sox went on to sweep the St. Louis Cardinals, who had the best record in baseball that season, in four games for the franchise's first World Series title in 86 years. The 2000s became the first decade that both the Yankees and more importantly the Red Sox won the World Series.

 

With the World Series triumph by the Red Sox, many pronounced the so-called "Curse of the Bambino" to be dead and buried. Yes, thankfully the curse is broken! And it's not so-called, it's TRUFAX! Players on the Red Sox said that the team would never ever hear "1918!" at Yankee Stadium again.[8][9] Thankfully. But those assholes will come up with something else, I have no doubt. Biggest douchebags ever.

 

During the 2005 season, Yankee outfielder Gary Sheffield was involved in an altercation with a Red Sox fan at Fenway Park. The fan was ejected and was stripped of his season tickets, while Sheffield was not punished, as MLB ruled that the fan instigated the altercation.[11] FUCKING BULLSHIT. Yet Big Baby Davis on the Celtics had to pay a 35,000 fine for the same thing? Both teams finished the year with identical 95-67 records; however, the Yankees won the division due to beating the Red Sox in head-to-head games (10-9). Both were eliminated in separate ALDS series.

 

In 2006, the Yankees won the AL East for the ninth time in a row, while the Red Sox finished behind the Toronto Blue Jays for third place thanks in large part to many injuries in August to the Red Sox. They also were subject to a five-game sweep by the Yankees while those players were on the disabled list.. It was the first time since 1997 that the Red Sox had not finished as the division's runner-up. Injuries will really screw a team over. Just look at the Celtics and the Bruins this year... *sigh* Still they both could pull it off...

 

On September 28, 2007, Boston won the AL East after a win against the Minnesota Twins and a loss by the New York Yankees against the Baltimore Orioles. This was the Sox first AL East Championship since 1995, ending the Yankees' nine-year reign in the division. Damn straight! The Red Sox would eventually go on to win the 2007 World Series, sweeping the Colorado Rockies in four consecutive games. A sign that the Red Sox are back after 86 years of the curse!

 

On September 23, 2008, the Red Sox defeated the Cleveland Indians, simultaneously clinching a playoff berth and eliminating the Yankees from the postseason for the first time since 1993. Aww poor Bankees couldn't buy their way into the Post-Season? Good!

 

In the 2009 season, the Red Sox started strong with the 8-0 record against Yankees. However, the Yankees came back with a vengeance, winning 9 out the remaining 10 regular season games against the Red Sox. The Yankees would go on to win the AL East title and eventually win the 2009 World Series against the Philadelphia Phillies, while the Red Sox won the AL Wild Card and lost in AL Division Series against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Ugh. Well one hiccup year where the bad guys win is bound to happen once in a while I guess. Still, the obnoxiousness of the fans when they win... makes me nouseous just thinking about it.

 

For the 2010 season, the Yankees and the Red Sox will start and finish the season against each other at Fenway Park. ...could be a good omen! [12][13] This will mark the first time since 1950 this has happened.[14] While the Red Sox and Yankees played each other to begin and end the season in 2005, the season began at Yankee Stadium and ended at Fenway Park. During the season, Joe Torre will be managing games against both teams for the first time since becoming manager of the Dodgers.[13][12][15] The Dodgers will play at Fenway Park and host the Yankees at Dodger Stadium.

 

Opening day

 

The Red Sox and the Yankees have faced off against each other on Opening Day 29 times.[13][12] When the two teams have faced off against each other on Opening Day, the Yankees are 18-10-1. Woah, woah, woah there buddy! You're just naming the Yankees in that last sentance? Fuck that shit! You know what? Screw you! I'm going to do just the opposite and not even mention those bums from the bronx. The Red Sox are 10-18-1. This year it will be 18-11-1.

 

Well that's all for now... until next time, kids!

[Benz]

[Benz]

Here's a story from today, to kinda bring things to the present for a moment:

 

 

Fork it over, Jeter: Yankees must repay $10K each on Series shares

By David Brown

 

In this uncertain economic climate, even Major League Baseball isn't immune to having to pay back bonus money.

 

AIG, Goldman Sachs, the New York Yankees. Quite a murderer's row of financial shenanigans.

 

In the case of the Yankees, payback is not because of greed or hubris, at least on the surface. Rather, CNBC's Darren Rovell reports, accounting errors have been found that are going to cost the likes of Derek Jeter(notes) and Alex Rodriguez(notes) a big chunk of their World Series bonus.

 

A letter from the Major League Baseball Players Association is asking players to return the extra money.

 

From CNBC:

 

By virtue of winning, the Yankees divided up $21.2 million. Originally, the Yankees awarded 46 players and coaches full shares, making the full share a record $365,052 (12.25 partial shares were also awarded).

 

But the letter told those who had full shares that three people (two trainers and a player) were not allocated their proper share. The result? Those who received full shares are now being asked to pay back approximately $10,000 each.

 

Did the Yankees re-hire George Costanza to do their accounting?

 

Anyway, taxes and such take 50 percent, and now this. Yeah, 10 grand is one thing for Jeter ($21.6 million) and A-Rod ($33 million), who can drop that on a parking valet and not blink. But, as Rovell points out, Joba Chamberlain(notes) ($432,575) and Brett Gardner(notes) ($422,450) aren't exactly millionaires — yet.

 

The Yankees have not given an official comment, possibly because the 2006 St. Louis Cardinals have reclaimed the Series record for a full bonus share — $362,173 per man. Congratulations to them, again.

 

Back to the Bronx for a second. Two trainers didn't get paid? All season, those guys quietly tape ankles, rub muscles, ensure that guys don't drown in the hot tub. And this is how they're repaid? By not getting paid! For shaaaaame, Yankees.

 

As for the mystery player, I wonder who didn't get his. My monopoly money is on Eric Hinske(notes), not because of his contribution or lack thereof. Guys probably just got sick of Hinkse receiving a World Series share, as he has done the past three years with three different teams.

 

Hey, let someone else eat from the trough, Hinske!

 

Haha, Yankees! That's pretty bad that the trainers didn't get paid. Greedy motherfuckers!

[alive she cried]

It's St. Paddy's day.

[Benz]

It's St. Paddy's day.

 

I've seen it spelled both ways. You ARE the expert though! St. Paddy's day!

[Benz]

Here's further proof that Boston's THE most Irish city in U S and A...

 

 

I defy you to find a shirt like that for the Yankees. Didn't think so.

[alive she cried]

VS

The Red Sox – Yankees rivalry is one of the oldest, most famous and fiercest rivalries in American professional sports. Probably the oldest and fiercest and most famous of all, I'd say.

...ahem http://www.hondosbar.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=10891

 

Here's further proof that Boston's THE most Irish city in U S and A...

I defy you to find a shirt like that for the Yankees. Didn't think so.

That I like

 

I've seen it spelled both ways. You ARE the expert though! St. Paddy's day!

 

The reason's it called St. Paddy's day is Paddy is short for Patrick, "Patty" is a woman's name short for Patricia.

St. Pattie's day is wholey an American creation.

[Benz]

...ahem http://www.hondosbar.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=10891

That I like

The reason's it called St. Paddy's day is Paddy is short for Patrick, "Patty" is a woman's name short for Patricia.

St. Pattie's day is wholey an American creation.

 

1) Props for finding an older rivalry. Red Sox vs. Yankees is the oldest, most famous American sports rivalry then.

 

2)Aint it beautiful? I gotta pick it up at somepoint, maybe for next St. Paddy's day.

 

3) Gotcha. Paddy's day from here till the end of time then!

[Benz]

Great Red Sox/NESN commercial.. best one I've seen in a while. Gotta love NESN! (The best one was when we broke the curse... I'll have to find it. It showed all the generations of Fenway Faithful who watched and waited for the Curse to be broken.)

 

 

If you don't recognize them, all the guys in the barbershop except the guy in Yankees gear obviously, and the barber are Red Sox players. Big Papi (David Ortiz) is the guy on the phone.

[Benz]

Good article I found on hating the Yankees:

 

When anyone asks me what baseball team I root for, I tell that that the most accurate answer is that I root against the Yankees. For Halloween, I dressed as “anybody but the Yankees,” donning a Red Sox shirt, Phillies jacket and Dodgers hat. The Yankees got the last laugh that night, beating the Phillies 8-5 to win game three of the World Series.

 

The origins of my Yankee-hatred are complicated, involving rooting for the Braves in the ’90s, watching them lose the World Series to the Yankees twice and having a dad who has been an Orioles fan since his days at Johns Hopkins in the ’80s and instilled in me his own Yankee hatred.

 

But I don’t hate the Yankess because I grew up in the South and my dad lived in Baltimore. My abhorrence of the Yankees is rather unique in sports, where people support one team over another for no objective reasons involving the nature of the organizations. My hatred is rational.

 

The Yankees, or at least the modern incarnation of the team, represents everything wrong with American society. Yes, the Yankees have been successful, and some will say I just resent their success. I don’t resent their success; I resent their arrogance.

 

It begins at the top. George Steinbrenner is not a good person. He was convicted in 1974 of a felony for making illegal contributions to Richard Nixon’s re-election campaign. Ronald Reagan pardoned him as he was heading out of office. Think about that, Yankee fans. You are supporting a man who thinks he is above the law.

 

Steinbrenner’s tenure as Yankees owner has been no better. He has publicly humiliated players, including Dave Winfield in 1983, for not playing well and was banned from baseball for life in 1990 because he paid a gambler to dig up dirt on the outfielder, though he was reinstated in 1993. When anyone tries to tell me that the Yankees are classy, I say give me a break. Joe Torre is classy, but the Boss forced him out.

 

It is no secret that the Yankees have the highest payroll in baseball. They are able to field good teams because they can give the best players the most money. A third of the current Yankee lineup — Johnny Damon, Mark Teixeira and Alex Rodriguez — and their best pitcher, C.C. Sabathia, played in the All-Star Game before the Yankees signed them.

 

While signing these players is entirely within the rules, it contradicts everything we value about sports. The Yankees are good not because they develop players better, scout better or work harder. The Yankees are good because they play in a big market and have a rich owner. Is this the sort of achievement we value?

 

Additionally, there is a mentality among Yankees fans that they deserve to win because they spend more money than everybody else. In 2006, when they lost to the Tigers in the American League Division Series, my freshman-year roommate blasted A-Rod for not performing in the playoffs because, to paraphrase, he’s getting paid so much. As if paying a player a lot should guarantee good performance.

 

Steinbrenner shares this philosophy, saying about Joe Torre before the 2007 ALDS against the Indians, “He’s the highest-paid manager in baseball, so I don’t think we’d take him back if we don’t win this series.” It wasn’t “I think another manager would do a better job,” which is the usual reason for firing a manager. It was we’re paying him a lot so he owes us.

 

If the fact that the Yankees are good because they have money doesn’t make you think twice before rooting for them, consider where the money comes from (other than Steinbrenner). Ticket and merchandise revenue flows in from Yankee fans, many of whom work on Wall Street, many at the firms that took on too much risk, leading to a painful recession.

 

The next time you put on that Yankees hat, consider this. You are supporting an organization run by a convicted felon who disrespects his employees, whose fans expect to win because they spend so much money generated by the people most responsible for the worst economy since the Great Depression. Think about that as you celebrate your 27th World Series.

 

I’m not bitter, I promise.

[Jables]

I was interested to start with, but then the TL:DR monster crept in. Good thread Benj, I think most of this is that NY suffers from tall poppy syndrome(ask the World trade Centre, amiright?!), haters gonna hate. When we went to see the NJ Devils play Washington. Washington, ffs. The Devils crowd would, seemingly without warning but in perfect unison all stand up and say 'FUCK THE RANGERS'. Blew my fucking mind. But then, Boston & NJ both seem to scare the crap out of me.