I don’t know if I can handle this. Last night was nerve-shredding enough (fucking Catalanotto!!!), but my stomach is already turning inside out just thinking about tonight. This weekend could either be glorious or tumultuous. Will Monday, October 3 feel like that Friday in October 2003 after Aaron Boone’s series winner? Was 2004 just a brief respite from our generations-long birthright of pain and suffering at the hands of the Boston Red Sox? Are we now destined to return to that old, familiar black magic we knew and loved (?) for 86 years? Forget about any English football clubs, or India versus Pakistan for cricket bragging rights, or even South Africa versus New Zealand rugby matches. The world, even the baseball novices among them, cannot deny that the Red Sox versus Yankees rivalry is the most heated rivalry in sporting history.
I’m both proud and terrified to be part of that rivalry. I’ve had Yankees fans as friends my entire life and they always had the last laugh. There are no more nauseating fans in all of sports than Yankees fans. This even led me to cheer and clap loudly in a Hoboken bar when the Florida Marlins defeated New York in the 2003 World Series. Despite the possibility of a serious New York-style beat down, I couldn’t restrain myself. The Yankees could be playing al Qaeda and I’d probably root for bin Laden himself to drive in the winning run.
Last year was redemption. Last year erased all those last laughs at the hands of Yankees fans. Never again will there be a "1918" chant. Never again will pictures of Babe Ruth and Bill Buckner litter the Yankee Stadium stands. Now, the shoe is on the other foot. Now, Boston fans will arrive at Fenway Park this wekeend armed with "Choke" and "2004" signs. I just don’t want the heroics of 2004 to be diminished by a season ending series loss to New York this weekend. That would give all Yankees fans the excuse to call 2004 an aberration.
I’m hedging my bets this weekend by stocking up on beer and Pepto Bismol. For good measure, I’m also moving all knives and scissors out of my house. If you don’t hear from me for a while after this weekend, please send someone by to check on me. Go…[gulp]…Sox!!!
