Yankees vs. Red Sox: It's on again

I am a huge Yankees fan. I am also a huge baby. I cried the night of October 16, 2003. Aaron Boone made me cry. I cried again the night of October 20, 2004. This time it was Johnny Damon who made me cry.

Whether in the form of tears of joy or tears of horror, the renewal of the age-old Yankees-Red Sox rivalry over the past three years has managed to salt the faces of hundreds of thousands of die-hard fans across the East Coast.

And here we are again: time for the playoffs. The October madness that has marked my two years at Princeton and has simultaneously ruined any chance of my studying for midterms is back. Heck, the only positive thing about last year's loss to the Red Sox was that Game 7 was such a blowout that I could turn the TV off after the third inning, stick some plugs in my ears and study for my early morning econ exam.

Yankees–Red Sox games provide the Princeton campus with a much needed rivalry. Sure, certain teams have fierce rivalries, such as the basketball team's rivalry with Penn, but it seems fair enough to say that there is nothing like a Duke-UNC rivalry in Princeton. That's where baseball comes in.

I hate the Red Sox. I hate that Boston fans think that one year of Yankees' choking can atone for everything that occurred in the previous 86 years of Boston misery. I hate that Red Sox fans feel they have more pride in their team than Yankees fans do. I hate that Red Sox fans constantly whine about the Yankees payroll as if the Red Sox are a low-budget team themselves. AS IF! (Thanks to Alicia Silverstone and the rest of the "Clueless" cast). I hate David Ortiz. The phrase "Big Papi" makes me want to poppy a hole in the Green Monster with my fist. I hate Curt Schilling. I hate Manny Ramirez. But, hey, that's just my opinion.

Red Sox fans have equally hateful sentiment toward the Yankees. Says Dave Rosen '07, who, unfortunately, like the majority of my friends is an avid Red Sox fan, "I don't hate the Yankees because I think it's some battle for which city is better. Everyone knows Boston is better. I hate the Yankees because they're so darn good. Even when their players who are supposed to be stars don't pan out, they go and get more guys. Every year they seem to screw the Red Sox over in the worst possible way. Except for last year..."

Ah, yes, last year. Though I hate to admit it, the Red Sox improbable victory last year legitimized the rivalry. We, the Yankees, were marginalized by a team we had dominated and mocked for almost a century. The magnitude of this growing rivalry is felt strongly on the Princeton campus.

As I walked around campus during this past weekend's series between the Yankees and Red Sox, every other room I passed had the game on. Dozens of people were sporting baseball jerseys. It seems that even fans of other teams take sides when the Yankees play the Red Sox. Many of them can be classified in the ever-growing "Yankee-hater" category. These folk aren't Red Sox fans — or, in some cases, fans of any particular team — they simply hate the Yankees. These people always seem too happy as they celebrate when any of the 29 teams besides the Yankees win the World Series. To my delight, there seems to be an emerging "Red Sox-hating" group as well. After the Red Sox World Series victory last year, some Red Sox fans chose to celebrate the end of the 86-year drought by becoming arrogant pricks. Come on, we're Yankees fans; we're used to having the cockiness all to ourselves.

So as the 2005 playoffs progress, the Yankees and Red Sox are poised for a potential third consecutive face off in the American League Championship Series.

Having finished the season with identical 95-67 records, this year the two teams may be more evenly matched than ever. Hopefully, the Princeton campus will once again be consumed in a well-matched showdown. And, boy oh boy, nothing would give me more pleasure than seeing Red Sox fans weeping away their broken hearts. Neel Gehani is an ORFE major from Summit, N.J. He can be reached at ngehani@princeton.edu.