“He Who Laughs Last…”
Red Sox-Yankees: June 1-3 at Fenway

The standings and the respective records of the teams mean nothing at this stage of the year. This series will be the last opportunity these guys will see each other until the end of August, so things will be even more intense than usual.

I would submit that the so-called Boston-New York rivalry is a media creation. There have been periods of time when the games actually meant something to both teams and the competition was intense, but these distinct periods are the exception. When the Red Sox were born as one of the American League charter franchises in 1901, the team that would eventually become the Yankees played in Baltimore. After having moved to New York, the Highlanders/Yankees played third-fiddle in the Apple to the Giants and Dodgers. Until 1920, the New York AL team toiled in relative obscurity while the Red Sox were the class of the American League.

What changed the balance of power was not necessarily the players on the field, but ownership. Historians can trace the dates upon which ownership of the New York and Boston clubs fell respectively into the hands of “Colonel” Jacob Ruppert and Harry Frazee. Ruppert was a pre-prohibition brewer and Frazee was mainly known as a theatrical producer.

Frazee’s theater productions were struggling and he needed cash. The only assets he had were the real property on Brookline Avenue and a number of very talented players. Ruppert had the money to pull Frazee out of the hole. After the 1919 season, Frazee got a bundle of money and Ruppert obtained the services of a certain left handed pitcher-turned outfielder who could hit a baseball further than anyone could ever recall (Ruppert was also given a mortgage on the famous Brookline Avenue property).

This famous ballplayer, who came to be known as “The Bambino” was the first of many of Boston’s more talented ballplayers to be sold to Ruppert by Frazee.

Yet, as painful as the reality was to Boston, it was a necessary evil. New York was then, as it is now, The Capital of The World. Following the 1919 White Sox-Reds Series (which the heavily favored ChiSox inexplicably lost), it was discovered that the competition was not exactly on the “up and up”. Eight White Sox players were accused of accepting money from gamblers to deliberately lose. Although all eight were acquitted in a court of law, big league baseball knew they had a big problem. So, the owners hired this rather dour, white haired ex-judge named “Kenesaw Mountain” Landis to clean up the mess. So, the first thing he did was to permanently ban the Eight (including the magnificent Joe Jackson).

The game needed a hero to restore its tarnished integrity, and it was necessary that the hero perform on The Big Stage, not Off Broadway. Thus began the first Yankee Dynasty. The Bambino, along with some of his Boston teammates went to The Big City. Equally as devastating was the loss of Manager Ed Barrow, who became New York’s General Manager. The young talent which he could have brought to Boston was diverted to New York. Ruppert hired Miller Huggins from the Cardinals as his manager and the foundation was established. Within three years after having fleeced Frazee, Ruppert built his own ballpark in the Bronx, tailor-made for his lefthanded slugger. Then came Lou Gehrig, Tony Lazzeri, Earle Combs and the birth of Murderer’s Row. Meanwhile, the Red Sox ownership changed hands and sunk deeper and deeper into irrelevance.

Things really didn’t heat up between the teams until after the War. The Sox had a great team from 1946-1950, winning one Pennant, losing a one-game playoff to Cleveland in ’48 and losing on the final day in New York in ’49. By 1950, the Sox were stacked offensively but had no pitching. The Yankees, led by DiMaggio kept winning Pennants.

For twenty-five years, 1951-1975, there was in fact, no Red Sox-Yankees rivalry. From '50 through '66 the Red Sox were in a downward spiral, mainly due to incompetent and racist ownership/management (the Sox were the last team to integrate, a mere twelve years after Jackie broke the line)...the Yankees just kept winning pennants through '64, then the bottom fell out and they went into freefall. In ’65 and ’66 the only Red Sox-Yankee competition was who was going to finish last.

The first glimmer I ever saw of a rivalry between the teams occurred in June of '67. I’d never seen a baseball bench clearing brawl until then. It started the way most all do: a Yankee pitcher (Tillotson) hit a Red Sox batter, the Sox’ pitcher “Gentleman Jim” Lonborg (who was anything but on the mound) hit a Yankee, angry words were exchanged, the batter charged the mound, the benches and bullpens emptied, a pile of humanity began to wrestle, (Rico was at the bottom punching Pepitone), cooler heads prevailed and the teams went back to playing baseball. When the Sox won the Pennant in ’67, their rivals were Chicago, Detroit and Minnesota. The Yankees were at the bottom of the barrel.

It wasn’t until ’73, when CBS sold the Yankees to a shipbuilding magnate named Steinbrenner that the Yankees’ fortunes began to change. But the Yankees’ successes were not entirely dependent on the owner, but on how he exploited the new rules of baseball. Prior to ’65, there was no baseball draft. Amateur players in North America were scouted and signed by the highest bidder (a great book on this process is Pat Jordan’s “A False Spring”). Once a player signed with a major league club, the club “owned” the player’s rights for perpetuity (barring trade or release), under a term known as “the reserve clause”. The players’ union was a joke until they hired a brilliant and shrewd labor economist named Marvin Miller as executive director.

Then after the ’70 season, the Cardinals traded their great centerfielder, Curt Flood, to the Phillies. He refused to accept the trade, and demanded the right to play for the team of his choosing. Baseball said, “No.” Flood appealed all the way to the Supreme Court and lost. By that time, however, the players’ union was energized. In ’72 there was a brief strike (which probably cost the Sox the Eastern Division title). By ’74, an arbitrator ruled that players could become free agents after their contracts expired.

This was the stroke of luck that Steinbrenner needed to buy the best talent for the Yankees. The first marquee player that Steinbrenner bought was the Athletics’ great Jim “Catfish” Hunter. Later on, the Yankees bought Reggie Jackson, and made a number of shrewd moves that brought three Pennants and Championship glory.

…and then Steinbrenner brought in Billy Martin to manage the team. It was a marriage made in hell. Billy was a firebrand; an obsessed hothead who wore out his quickly wore out his welcome during managerial stops with Minnesota, Detroit and Texas within a period of six years. As an infielder with the Yankees in the fifties, he was a hustler and a scrapper who was an integral part of Casey Stengel’s great Yankee teams.

During the early and mid ‘70’s, the Red Sox were developing studs. Carlton Fisk, Jim Rice, Fred Lynn, Rick Burleson, Cecil Cooper, Bill Lee and Dwight Evans all came up through the minors to become regulars. They pulled Luis Tiant from the scrap heap. Rico and Yaz matured into great veterans.

In ’74, Yankee Stadium was in the middle of a two-year rehab and the team played their games at Shea. The Red Sox were not to be denied in ’75 and went on to compete in one in one of the greatest World Series ever. However, the rivalry was renewed when the Yankees’ fortunes began to turn. In ’76, there was a brawl that started when “Sweet Lou” slid hard into Fisk at the plate. Lee was on the mound for Boston that night and got into with Nettles. Lee ended up with a shoulder injury and was pretty much done thereafter. In ’77, the Sox hit about a bazillion homers but had no pitching, so the Yanks coasted to the Pennant. In ’78, the Sox had a lead about as large as the one that have at the moment, only to…well, you know what happened there. The rivalry died in ’79 along with Thurman Munson. For the next fifteen years, it really wasn’t much to speak of. Fisk, Lynn, Yaz, and Lee left the Sox and George hired and fired Billy about twenty times. Both teams had their share of failure and success. The Yanks won a Pennant in ’81, the Sox in ’86. Other than Roberto Kelly’s home run that derailed the Red Sox in 1991, it simply felt as if there was no spark or animosity between the teams.

The current rivalry dates to 1995. By then, Wade Boggs had taken to wearing pinstripes. The Red Sox won the AL East title in ’95 and the Yanks have won it every year since. When the Yanks won it all in ’96, Boggs rode around the Stadium on a horse. It was a disgusting spectacle. Outside of those few golden days in October, 2004 things have pretty much gone the Yankees’ way.

The series opener (Game 53, Fri. N. 6/1/07) was dreadful for Boston. Do you know what happens when a pitching staff walks eight and hits three batters? An ugly 9-5 defeat, that’s what. There was little, if anything worth remembering about this night. Wakefield didn’t have it tonight, and the Yankee hitters pummeled him. It didn’t help matters that Wang had a pretty good outing. Cano hit a two-run homer in the top of the second. Wake the proceeded to load the bases and Damon`s walk scored Abreu. The Sox picked up a pair in the bottom of the inning, and tied the game in the third on Pedroia’s double, scoring Coco Crisp. After that, the roof caved in on the Red Sox. Cano singled to lead off the fourth and went to second on a passed ball. Abreu walked. Phelps was hit by a pitch. With Cabrera at the plate, Wake threw a wild pitch and Cano scored. With runners on second and third, Cabrera singled scoring Abreu. With Damon up, Phelps scored on Mirabelli`s second passed ball. With two outs Matsui walked. Wake was mercifully pulled at that point in favor of Kyle Snyder. Rodriguez was hit by a pitch and Posada doubled to the gap, scoring all three baserunners. Despite the lopsided score, there a little excitement. Torre was tossed in the fifth after arguing a call where Abreu was caught stealing third (the propriety of which with a six-run lead is entirely open to question).

Things started to get testy when Lowell was hit on the hand (necessitating his removal) in the bottom of the fourth. In the ninth, Cano was plunked. In the bottom of the inning, Proctor threw a fastball near Youkilis’ coconut, nearly prompting a brawl though cooler heads prevailed. Proctor was ejected and Mariano Rivera came on in a highly unusual situation of having to “protect” a six-run lead. The Sox cuffed him around for a couple of meaningless runs, but the horse had long since left the barn. Final score, New York 9, Boston 5. Let us continue…

The middle game of the series (Game 54, Sat Aft. 6/2/07) was played in unusually warm and humid conditions. There were rumbles of thunder, lightning and sporadic downpours throughout the region. Schilling got the call against Mussina (who really appears as if he’s in “the twilight of a great career”).

The Yanks (per usual) went on top in the second on Cabrera’s solo shot into the bullpen. Wily Mo Pena led off Boston’s third and scored on Lugo’s grounder to short.
In the bottom of the 4th, Ortiz led off with a walk. Manny doubled to center and the rains came. After about a thirty-minute delay, play resumed and Youkilis walked. Lowell singled, driving in Ortiz. Varitek grounded into a double play, and Manny scored on the play.

In the sixth, the Yanks went back on top. Matsui singled and A-Rod walked. Posada followed with a three-run blast to right Home Run (7) to right. Schilling got the hook at that stage in favor of Javier Lopez. With one out Cabrera doubled and he scored on Mientkiewicz’ base hit up the middle, making the score 5-3, New York. Say whatever you would about the Yankees’ struggles so far, Posada is having an incredible season at the plate. He’s earned a place on the All-Time Red Sox Killer Team.

The Sox tied it in the bottom of the sixth on back-to-back homers by Lowell and Varitek. With one out in the seventh, Piñeiro entered and Jeter smacked a home run of his own to put New York ahead, 6-5. Okajima then came on and cleared up any further difficulty. This set the stage for one of the wildest innings in some time. Ortiz led off with a double and Manny was intentionally walked. Youkilis walked to load the bases with nobody out.

Lowell hit a grounder to Jeter. In his haste to turn two, he made an awkward throw that caused Mientkiewicz to lean forward and to the right (we’re doing a little accident reconstruction here, so don’t mind the detail). As Lowell went down the line, his thigh struck the back of Mientkiewicz’ head with such force that Minky was rendered unconscious (not only that, when he came to, Mientkiewicz also learned that he suffered a broken wrist). He was carted off the field (still dazed) to a smattering of applause (after all, he’s a Yankee now). The long and short of it was that Ortiz and Manny both scored on the play. Varitek was intentionally walked. Peña reached on Jeter`s fielding miscue. Crisp singled, scoring Lowell with the third run of the inning. After a pitching change, Lugo hit a sacrifice fly that brought in Varitek. Pedroia singled, scoring Wily Mo. By the time the smoke cleared the Sox were up 10-5. The Sox picked up another run in the eighth when Youkilis walked and Lowell doubled him home with one out.

In the ninth, Papelbon came on and was pretty good, allowing only a walk before Matsui hit a harmless pop out to short to end the game. Any day the Red Sox beat the Yankees is a good day, especially when last night’s villain, Scott Proctor, got tagged with the loss.

Game 55 v. NY Yankees (Sun. N. 6/3/07): On a cool, damp evening with the threat of rain, it was Beckett v. Pettitte in the Sunday Night “Game of the Week”. After tonight, these teams won’t see one another until August 28th, by which time everything will be different. The wind was “blowing in”, so whichever team was best able to manufacture runs would win this one. Beckett blew away Damon on strikes to start things off and got through the first with no trouble. With one out in the second, Posada doubled to the rightfield gap and Matsui singled to right. Cano struck out, but Phelps ripped a bullet that was just beyond Lugo’s dive and Posada scored the first run.

In the Yankees’ third, Abreu doubled with two out, but Beckett nailed A-Rod on a called third strike. In the bottom of the inning, Cabrera made a spectacular diving back-handed catch of Peña’s liner to the triangle. The ball came off of Wily Mo’s bat like a bullet, Cabrera raced to his left and stabbed it while making a headfirst dive. If he missed that ball, it would’ve been a triple, easy.

The Yanks put up a three-spot in the fifth. Phelps and Cabrera singled to start things. Jeter reached on a 6-5 force and Abreu walked. A-Rod drove in Cabrera with a base hit and Jeter scored on Lowell’s bad throw to first. Posada followed with a line drive single to right, scoring Abreu.

The Sox loaded the bases in the fifth on singles by the 7-8-9 hitters, Varitek, Peña and Crisp. Lugo then struck out swinging. Pedroia followed with an uppercut swing and drove the ball high off the wall, bringing in all three base runners. Ortiz (whose hamstring is still causing him grief) looped a base hit to left. Abreu misplayed the ball and it rolled to the bullpen fence; Pedroia scored the tying run and Ortiz ended up on third. Torre came out with the hook, and Pettitte’s night was done. Luis Vizcaino entered and Manny received an intentional pass. Youkilis hit a long sacrifice fly to center and Big Papi chugged in with the lead run. Lowell banged a line drive double off the wall.

Beckett was relieved with one out and Damon aboard first in the top of the seventh. Javier Lopez entered for Boston and gave up a single to Abreu, putting runners on the corners. There was no way he was staying on to face A-Rod, so Donnelly was brought in. A-Rod popped out to Lugo (surely endearing himself further to the Yankee Faithful). Okajima came on to face Posada and got him to fly out to center.

The Sox held the precarious lead until the eighth. Matsui singled to lead off and scored the tying run on Cano’s triple. The Sox left two runners stranded in the eighth and Pedroia failed to deliver

Papelbon entered in the ninth, and that old, “sinking Red Sox feeling” was churning in stomachs throughout New England. Papelbon had no trouble with the first two hitters, then A-Rod hit a mistake pitch into the bullpen and New York took the lead. Mariano Rivera came on for the save and other than plunking Youkilis, it was like old times for the Yankee closer. Lowell struck out swinging to end the game. What a disheartening way to wrap up the homestand. But A-Rod’s a-laughing, all the way to the bank!