The Rivalry: From a Young Perspective

Submitted by The Soxologoist

I wasn't alive to see the Red Sox get massacred by Bucky Bleebin' Dent or in 1986 for Game 6 of the World Series to see the ball go through Buckners' legs, but I have heard and read about both, but who hasn't. I was not there in the heat of the moment so it's not the same. I was however sitting in my house when Don Zimmer charged Pedro Martinez and was pushed to the ground. More recently, to watch Jason Varitek maul Alex Rodriguez. Sadly I was also watching when Aaron Boone hit an ALCS winning homerun off Tim Wakefield. My body didn't stop shaking for a week after that game. I didn't watch one game of the World Series. My emotions were completely drained.

To me when the Red Sox and Yankees play it's more than a regular game. I watch the every Red Sox game during the year and I form a bond with the team from my living room. I become emotional when the Sox win in the bottom of the 9th inning and when they lose in the bottom of the 9th. I feel like I went through the game with the players. Say a Yankee pitcher hits a Red Sox batter with a pitch, it feels like that the pitcher hit a member of my family with the pitch. The passion and dedication it takes to be a Red Sox fan is like nothing else in the world. For Young people, like myself, being a fan of the Boston Red Sox is a faith, more than just following your favorite sports team, it's a tradition that you never turn your back on. If you happen to be a Yankees' fan then you turned your back on the faith that is the Boston Red Sox.