I USED TO HATE the New York Yankees. Now I hate the Boston Red Sox. It̢۪s not because they just won the World Series. It̢۪s because they just won in 2004. I̢۪m ready for them to go on another drought.
The horrible truth is this: The Boston Red Sox have turned into the New York Yankees. For two teams with such a fierce rivalry, they sure have a lot alike.
Maybe you don̢۪t like baseball. Maybe you don̢۪t like sports. But chances are, someone you know does.
They̢۪re going to be whining in the next couple years. A lot.
So what happened to the Yankees? They thought they could buy a better team.
The problem is, it̢۪s not possible to buy a better team. It̢۪s only possible to buy better players. That is what scares me about the Red Sox.
They didn’t buy a better team. Instead, they made throw-in deals for hacks like Mike Lowell, this year’s World Series MVP. Even more frightening, the Red Sox keep their players such as the perennially lazy Manny Ramirez and the “I’m not really in shapeâ€Â David Ortiz. Two rookies, Dustin Pedroia and Jacoby Ellsbury had big parts in winning the World Series for Boston.
Before this year, the Yankees had won nine straight division titles. Guess who won it this year? The Sox.
I know. Who cares?
The Red Sox need some wins. Some people probably think they didn’t win until they made the movie “Fever Pitch.â€Â
How am I going to see the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in the playoffs if the Red Sox keep winning?
The problem is that the Yankees are not going to be good next year. The Red Sox will be. At least I̢۪ll get some enjoyment out of seeing those sell-out Yankee fans put their hats away. Oh, you used to have a cousin that went to NYU for a semester? Yeah, that̢۪s justification for wearing a Yankee hat. You̢۪ll see those hats disappear. No one wants to rep a loser.
“But wait,â€Â you think. “The Yankees still have Derek Jeter!â€Â Yes, but now all they have is Derek Jeter. Roger Clemens is nearing the half-century mark. Their manager is gone. So is their catcher and their third baseman.
Without question the Red Sox are a big market team. They have the second highest payroll under — surprise — the Yankees. A couple of players on the Yankees and Red Sox almost make more than the whole Florida Marlins team. A-Rod makes more money than all 25 Marlins.
The average Yankee hater might not hate the Red Sox because they beat the Yankees. I am a huge Yankee hater, but I see the tide turning. The poor Yanks almost missed the playoffs this year. The Red Sox will make the playoffs for the next three years. Guaranteed. I̢۪m willing to bet that they̢۪ll win another World Series in two years.
People will start to get annoyed. It was fun when they hadn̢۪t won since 1918. It was easy to root for them. How are you going to feel when they have won the World Series three times in five years? How about four in six?
You will hate them. Old Yankee haters like me will start rooting for some change.
Pretty soon you̢۪ll start seeing some Red Sox hats on campus. Most will be sell outs who just want to claim allegiance to a winning team.
Your brother went to Boston College to visit your cousin? Oh, well in that case feel free to wear the hat.
I̢۪m going to try and be ahead of the curve. I̢۪m going to root against the Red Sox now.
I rooted for them in 2004, but only because my favorite team is terrible and couldn̢۪t win the 2002 World Series.
I̢۪m turning now. Start rooting against the Red Sox.
There is one more possibility. You could root for the Red Sox to sign A-Rod, the Yankees̢۪ third baseman who just opted out of his contract to get more money.
“Why, that would just make them better,â€Â you think. Not so. The Red Sox are at the peak right now. If they watched the Yankees like I did, they’ll know that buying better players doesn’t buy a better team. There’s only one thing to do. Find your neighborhood witch and have them curse the Red Sox.
If you move quick enough, you might be able salvage baseball — and spare yourself some whining.
Plese... get a life... • Nov 6, 2007 at 10:44 pm
you are so f’ing annoying… do you even go to FS or just sit around and do research all day long so you can rebute everything Collegian writers write… I hope you get the balls one day to reveal yourself so I can actually kick you in the balls…
Plese... get a life... • Nov 7, 2007 at 5:44 am
you are so f’ing annoying… do you even go to FS or just sit around and do research all day long so you can rebute everything Collegian writers write… I hope you get the balls one day to reveal yourself so I can actually kick you in the balls…
Whatever • Nov 2, 2007 at 9:51 am
it’s not trendy to root against Boston. They’re one of the most annoying teams in baseball. However, they were easily the best team this year and deserved to win.
Hating the Yankees and Red Sox is pure jealousy, and I understand that. It’s annoying when as many people in California seemingly like the Sox or Yankees as California teams, thanks to ESPN coverage and wanting to feel like a winner. Those are historic baseball teams and have payrolls that match their huge fan bases.
Boston deserved it and until someone else fields a better team, they can keep winning titles. It forces other teams to make better decisions to compete – move to the suburbs and get a new stadium, increase payroll, hire better general managers, that sort of thing.
If not for powerhouses like Boston, you’d see see teams like the SF Giants put steaming piles of garbage on the field every year knowing that their hard-headed fan base will still fill the place up no matter how awful they get. Then ownership hopes for a miracle because the rest of the league isn’t much better. Boston is good for competitive baseball.
And hey, Ortiz may look out of shape on TV, but the dude is 6’4 and about 250 pounds. A guy that size being able to run the bases and swing the bat well enough to make it go 400 feet regularly is in pretty good shape. These guys are athletes and play 162 games a year. We all think they just stand around and take steroids, but that is a grueling schedule.
Whatever • Nov 2, 2007 at 4:51 pm
it’s not trendy to root against Boston. They’re one of the most annoying teams in baseball. However, they were easily the best team this year and deserved to win.
Hating the Yankees and Red Sox is pure jealousy, and I understand that. It’s annoying when as many people in California seemingly like the Sox or Yankees as California teams, thanks to ESPN coverage and wanting to feel like a winner. Those are historic baseball teams and have payrolls that match their huge fan bases.
Boston deserved it and until someone else fields a better team, they can keep winning titles. It forces other teams to make better decisions to compete – move to the suburbs and get a new stadium, increase payroll, hire better general managers, that sort of thing.
If not for powerhouses like Boston, you’d see see teams like the SF Giants put steaming piles of garbage on the field every year knowing that their hard-headed fan base will still fill the place up no matter how awful they get. Then ownership hopes for a miracle because the rest of the league isn’t much better. Boston is good for competitive baseball.
And hey, Ortiz may look out of shape on TV, but the dude is 6’4 and about 250 pounds. A guy that size being able to run the bases and swing the bat well enough to make it go 400 feet regularly is in pretty good shape. These guys are athletes and play 162 games a year. We all think they just stand around and take steroids, but that is a grueling schedule.