SCREW THE RED SOX AND YANKEES....Part Deux

                   
                                             

Much to my dismay, the whole baseball world is centered around the Red Sox and Yankees. Turn on ESPNews...and you get those gripping highlights of their Grapefruit League game. Turn it over to ESPN...and you’ll have Peter Gammons force feeding both teams to you. I even listened to my favorite sports radio show, SPORTS BLOGGERS LIVE, and the "Steroid Free Baseball Preview" pretty much only spoke of the Yankees and Red Sox.

My sources have told me that MLB is on the verge of a major expansion that would turn the 2-team league to a 30 team league. Of course, only a few of these new teams will be allowed to spend any money....most will act as farm systems for New York and Boston.

Oh, it is a great rivalry. And the fact that these two teams have met in the last two ALCS and put up outstanding series is the reason for most of this recent love. But the Dodgers-Giants is a nice rivalry too....and they’ve had some memorable moments as well. I mean, I’ll take "the shot heard ‘round the world [Bobby Thompson] over Bucky Freakin’ Dent. Remember in 1993 when the Giants won 103 games....yet were eliminated by the Dodgers by a score of 12-1 on the final day....leaving San Fran a mere game behind the Braves?? That was two years after the Giants won the last two games of the season over the Dodgers to put them just behind Atlanta.

What’s the difference?? Well, the Dodgers and Giants screw each other over regularly. Both have had their days in the sun. In the Yankees-Red Sox rivalry....New York owned Boston. They'd still be owning Boston if they didn't have the mother of all meltdowns in last year's ALCS.  To the non-fans....the bandwagon guys choose the Yankees.....and the underdog lover chooses the Red Sox. However, the Red Sox have nowwon a World Series and finally laid to rest the dumbest story in all of sports [the Curse of the Bambino]....so they now become like every other team.

Actually....they?ve become the Yankees. The other teams scrimp and save to field a pretty good ball team. The Red Sox are like the Yankees in the fact that they have an open checkbook to do what they want. As much as they hate the Yankees....to the 28 other clubs they might as well have pinstripes. 

                                       

Normally, I?m not one to put up a "media bias". But, when ESPN is involved....there is noticeably some there. ESPN headquarters is in Bristol, Connecticut...which is about dead smack between Boston and New York. Notice that whenever a New England or New York team wins anything....it is the greatest victory of all mankind!! The New York Rangers win the Stanley Cup.....it is the greatest feat of all time!!! You would think that was the only Cup Mark Messier ever won [he won 5 with Edmonton]. Will they celebrate a Cubs World Series [heck just even getting there!] with the furor that they?ve done for Boston?? Not to say that ESPN isn?t all over Duke or the Lakers. They are. But they also tend to spend more time talking about other teams in those leagues than they do about any other baseball teams. If you stay up late enough....you can get some Mariners or Dodgers takes on the 2am Baseball Tonight.

Peter Gammons...the network's baseball Dick Vitale....is a Boston guy and has love for two teams.  The Boston Red Sox and whomever Pedro Martinez is pitching for. 

By the way....Opening Day is Sunday night...and ESPN has set aside a Yankees-Red Sox game to ring in the new year. All by itself.

It reminds me of the 2004 Presidential election. While the big media minds of New York, Washington and Los Angeles chirp in on what is best....everyone in the middle was solidified in their belief. Basically, middle America was slept on. While the ALCS was really great....the NLCS undercard of St. Louis-Houstonwasn?t too shabby either.

When interleague play comes around...we get treated to the Mets-Yankees Subway Series. Oh, it is nice....but I?ll take the White Sox-Cubs over them. The Dodgers-Angels, Athletics-Giants, Indians-Reds, Astros-Rangers and soon Nationals-Orioles all have that same regional feel and drama. Of course, only the NY series gets the major pub.

Again, this isn?t to slight these two franchises or their fans. They are great franchises....great fans....and great teams. And they should get discussed. But the Cardinals are good. So are the Marlins. And the Angels. If Bonds gets back soon then the Giants will be formidable. The Twins are pretty good. Heck, the Braves are there every year and they don?t get this kind of love.

I've lived in two cities pretty much my entire life.  Charlotte and Cincinnati.  Charlotte could care less about baseball.  It is basketball country and will always be.  Cincinnati, however, loves their baseball.  They take as much pride in their team as anyone.  There will be the 86th Findlay Market parade before Opening Day which is held in Cincinnati every year [any other team get to enjoy that?]. 

Of course, if Boston or New York comes to the Nati....everyone will run to get tickets.  But when the Reds show up and "The Stadium" or Fenway....it might as well be the Royals.  The talk around town is how the Reds opened up their pockets this year....and got their payroll to a whopping $50M by signing Eric Milton.  The Reds, no kidding, traded Denny Neagle to the Yankees for Drew Henson a few years ago.  Henson didn't want to be part of the Reds....so they sent him back for minor leaguer Wily Mo Pena [which is turning into a nice deal for Cincy].  Since then, they've traded Gabe White and Aaron Freakin Boone to New York in other deals.  Oh, and you can thank the Reds for Paul O'Neill as well.

Heck, they've even traded Christy Mathewson to the New York GIANTS back in 1900.

So...I may elect to skip watching the season....since we all know that Boston and New York will fight to the death in October to see who gets to clobber the Marlins, Cards, Braves, Giants, or other.

At least that's what they are saying.