Ohio State and Michigan, Cincinnati and Pittsburgh, USA and the World. We all know these are some of the biggest rivalries there are in sports. But in post-all star game baseball there is only one series that can be put in this category and that is Red Sox-Yankees baseball. Nothing can compare to this series. Every year there are playoff implications and never is there a dull moment. So in the history of this great series what moment burns the most?
Depending on which team you rep the answer to this question most likely rest on completely different sides of the spectrum. Lets start at the beginning. Here's a familiar name. Babe Ruth. Signed by the Red Sox in 1911 he leads the Bo Soxs to 4 World Series titles in 7 years and then what does the team do in return. They ship him to the Yankees of course and with that the biggest burn begins.... The curse. 86 years of futility, nothing is worse than that many years of failure. And what makes it all the worse is the ways in which it occurs. Free agents stolen from the Red Sox. Ready? The list is long. Babe Ruth, Wade Boggs, Jose Contreras, Roger Clemens, Johnny Damon, Alex Rodriguez, Mark Texiera, C.C. Sabathia and A.J. Burnett several who were Red Sox players at one time adding insult to injury. Then theres the heartbreaking loses. The collapse of 1978 which peaked with a one game playoff loss to the Yankees. Or maybe it was watching Aaron Boone destroy any World Series hopes with one swing of his bat. Then enter 2004, you knew it was going to be the Yankees turn for heartbreak evetually. Up 3 games in the ALCS and another dominating performance against the Red Sox was in sight. Then Papi stepped to the plate in the 12th inning of game 5. One swing of the bat and all moment swung. They walked away with game and 3 games later finished one of the greatest comebacks ever in Yankee fashion by dominating game seven and eventually winning their first World Series in 86 years. They would win another two years later repositioning themselves back into the baseball hierarchy. Without a doubt more negativity has plagued the Red Sox then Yankees but at the same time recent burns have all been felt by the Yankees. So what burned the most? The biggest burn in this rivalry has been felt by the Red Sox (though I hate to say it being a Red Sox fan) and it would be the 86 year drought that we had to suffer through. Have the Yankees go through a period like that including all of the heart breaking loses and we'll see how the evil empire feels.
Oh and if it burns everyone wants to talk about it.
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