Opinion

A tale of two cities

Sox-Yankees rivalry indicative of Boston-N.Y. clash

By Mike Melochick

Posted on Oct. 14, 2004, at 12:00 a.m.

The stage has been set for the greatest rivalry in sports: The October showdown between the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees. As much as I would like to, I am not going to offer baseball analysis or bash the Yankees. Instead I would like to use this series as an example of Boston’s inferiority complex when compared to New York.

Boston is the heart and soul of New England, while New York City is the heart and soul of the nation. You see all kinds of people wearing “I love NY” shirts, but you never see anyone wearing an “I love Beantown” T-shirt. Perhaps this is because our love of Boston stems from our love for the Sox – our bums from the hub. We could be on top, but they’ll always be our bums. The same can’t be said for the fresh-faced Bronx Bombers,” who are Americas dandies and loved throughout the world.

The Yankees have more World Series hardware than the Hall of Fame. We have five tattered banners and enough tears to fill Boston Harbor. It’s always our year, and I shouldn’t write this out of sheer superstition, but somehow it always ends up being their year.

This inferiority doesn’t end with over two fistfuls of World Series rings. It even spread into this year’s election. The Republicans chose to hold their national convention in New York. We got the Democrats in a blatant second-choice scenario. This may be a result of the Kennedys running the state, but regardless, I wanted Boston to have the winner.

Some may argue that the Patriots are Boston’s pride and joy, which they are. The only problem with that is that they are the New England Patriots, so they are the pride and joy for all of New England, not just Bostonians. It seems selfish and petty, but when it comes down to it, Boston needs a champion to call its own.

Even when it comes to negative issues, Boston still can’t compare to New York. The Big Apple has more crime and more pollution than Boston; we can’t seem to win for losing.

They have the Empire State Building; we have the Prudential Building. They have the Statue of Liberty; we have the U.S.S. Constitution. They have the George Washington Bridge and we have the Tobin Bridge. They have Times Square; we have Faneuil Hall. They have the Times; we have the Globe.

And so it goes, we have something great, and they have something more grandiose. Alas, this year may be the year where we prove to the people of New York that bigger isn’t necessarily better. We have a slightly smaller payroll than the Yankees, but we have more heart and better camaraderie.

Perhaps that’s what makes Boston better than New York. We don’t need overelaborate structures or Central Park to define our city. Historically, Boston has been a hotbed for revolution and changing attitudes. Maybe our collective love for the Red Sox is an inherent manifestation of that revolutionary spirit in which we fight vehemently against our oppressor, who in this case dons pinstripes in lieu of a redcoat.

No matter how you define it, there has been, and always will be, angst towards New York and New Yorkers, as a result of always coming up short. It’s a great divide that widens each year at the start of spring training. We come to our senses after a bitter winter and remember what we have to look forward to and to fight for: a reason to beat those smug pricks from New York. The only people I feel sorry for are the people of Connecticut because they are caught in the middle of this timeless fray.

Mike Melochick is a senior journalism major who really dislikes the Yankees, but not necessarily New York as a city or state.

This entry was posted on Thursday, October 14th, 2004, 12:00 am. You can follow any responses to this article through the RSS feed.