Red Sox vs Yankees 2008 | The Thread

[acsguitar]

My Best Man is a redsox fan.

So I really don't hate them all. but man they are annoying lot.

The whole RedSox nation really was created by ESPN. And WTF does it mean? Was there a RedSox nation mentioned before their stupid pinball machine park cause Tony Clarks game winning double turn into a game not winning ground rule double?

Sox won their first WS because they played in fenway and because they used Dave Roberts for 1 play.

It was pretty awful. And really hate having to hear "Red Sox, who have won 2 of the last 4 world series" Who gives a poop. Thats not impressive.

[Grounded Polo]

It amazes me how NY,always regarded as a National league town, all of a sudden is Yankees Universe.I'm sure the same is happening in Boston who now has a nation.I'm sure if a team like the Dodgers went on a run it'll be Dodgertown or something along those lines.

What? Even if the Mets are great now, Yankee fans still outnumber Mets fans 4 to 1+ easily.

[acsguitar]

It amazes me how NY,always regarded as a National league town, all of a sudden is Yankees Universe.I'm sure the same is happening in Boston who now has a nation.I'm sure if a team like the Dodgers went on a run it'll be Dodgertown or something along those lines.

What? Even if the Mets are great now, Yankee fans still outnumber Mets fans 4 to 1+ easily.

The Mets aren't great they won't make the playoffs

[RedSoxNation04]

bigh0rt started it, so I'm going to add my personal thoughts...

I hate the Red Sox.

But more than that, I hate Red Sox Nation. I hate the notion of it. Red Sox Nation is comprised of, what I like to call, 'rebel bandwagoners.' At some point around 2001, all the kids who grew up as bandwagon Yankee fans started to change sides. All the kids who wore Yankee hats and Derek Jeter shirts from 1996 through 2000 started to turn on the Yankees. When I would ask why, the response I got was, "...because they win too much." Hating the Yankees became the cool thing to do.

So naturally, they started rooting for Boston when the Sox got real good around 2002/2003...not because they liked Boston, but because they wanted to be different than all the Yankee fans. So throughout the rivalry in 2003 and 2004, I see more and more people rooting for the Red Sox to win, especially after the '03 ALCS. Then in 2004, the Sox beat the Yankees. Now, if it wasn't bad enough for me that I attended Game 7, when I go to school I have to put up with crap from people who wouldn't recognize Terry Francona if he knocked on their front door.

These people try to pass themselves off as diehard Red Sox fans. They act as if they've been 'struggling' for 86 years through heartbreak and defeat, and finally have a moment of their own. And never again after 2004 did I hear the Red Sox complain about spending money. I never heard them accuse the Yankees of buying championships anymore. The Red Sox are the Yankees....they have just been more efficient at it over the last 5 or 6 years.

It has only grown worse with Boston's '07 success. I go to school in Massachusetts now, and I cannot believe how many ignorant, bandwagon fans are around. In my opinion, that is what Red Sox Nation is. It's not the true Boston fan who grew up loving the team and who celebrated their championships with class, like most of the Red Sox fans on this board. It's the people who became a Red Sox fan because it was 'cool to hate the Yankees,' and then felt as if they had accomplished something when the Sox finally won their ring.

I wear my Yankee hat everyday around campus as a proverbial F-U to Red Sox Nation.

Sounds like someone needs some anger management...

And I think you're a little off base when you say that Red Sox Nation is comprised of former Yankees fans who now find it "fashionable" (my word, not yours) to hate the Yanks...that's just ridiculous. Are there bandwagon fans who've jumped on board at the right time? Sure. Every team gets those fans, the Yankees included. You want to hate us, go for it, but remember that you care more about that hatred than the players do. Fans will be fans and I think some people waste way too much time hating other people for their fandom. I've grown up a Red Sox fan and have suffered through many years of mediocrity. Am I going to enjoy this time while I have it? You bet. Do I hate the Yankees for their success? Nope. Jealous of it at time, sure, but I can at least say that I respect the Yankees for their history and that I do plan on getting to Yankee Stadium this year before its torn down.

It will be a long season yet again and the two teams will beat the hell out of each other along the way. I'll wait for your response, my friend...

[Batman rules]

if you think the redsox are bad, just check out the celtics. at least in baseball even to be a bandwagon fan you have to have an attention span of more than 3 seconds. screaming about kevin garnett dunking the ball and how nasty the celtics are when you haven't watched a celtics game ever in your life is an entirely different level.

[BronXBombers51]

Sounds like someone needs some anger management...

And I think you're a little off base when you say that Red Sox Nation is comprised of former Yankees fans who now find it "fashionable" (my word, not yours) to hate the Yanks...that's just ridiculous. Are there bandwagon fans who've jumped on board at the right time? Sure. Every team gets those fans, the Yankees included. You want to hate us, go for it, but remember that you care more about that hatred than the players do.

It will be a long season yet again and the two teams will beat the hell out of each other along the way. I'll wait for your response, my friend...

The idea that most of them are former Yankee fans is from personal experience. I don't mean to insinuate that all of them once rooted for the Yankees. But they aren't true fans, in most cases. The true fans were there in '78 or '86, if old enough. They were wearing their Red Sox gear through the 1990s. They didn't just start calling themselves diehard Sox fans in 2004 and act as if they have been around forever.

Red Sox Nation is phony, in my opinion. As the article said, there was no Red Sox Nation before 2004. It's a nation of bandwagoners. Most of the true Sox fans I know have distanced themselves from that tag. I don't hate true Red Sox fans. If they act with class and are knowledgeable about the game, then I have no problem with them. From my experience, Red Sox Nation is the group of people who act with no class, aren't knowledgeable about the game, but act as if they have accomplished something because they wear a Papelbon jersey and have watched Fever Pitch.

That said, I look forward to the rivalry in 2008 and beyond. It's an absolute blast watching these two teams go at it. Hopefully it will stay that way.

[StlSluggers]

How big can a thread get before it collapses on itself?

[BronXBombers51]

if you think the redsox are bad, just check out the celtics. at least in baseball even to be a bandwagon fan you have to have an attention span of more than 3 seconds. screaming about kevin garnett dunking the ball and how nasty the celtics are when you haven't watched a celtics game ever in your life is an entirely different level.

I think that's another key component to "Red Sox Nation." The success of the Patriots and Celtics (this year) has elevated them to an entirely new level. I cannot have a reasonable sports conversation with anyone here it seems, because it devolves to how great Boston is. It's expanded to the point where it's not even about just the Sox anymore. It's Boston sports in general. Boston winning the Series, Patriots going undefeated, Celtics having a good year, etc. Again, there are plenty of Sox/Pat/Celt fans who are really true fans, and I feel sorry that they get mixed up in this crowd.

[RedSoxNation04]

Sounds like someone needs some anger management...

And I think you're a little off base when you say that Red Sox Nation is comprised of former Yankees fans who now find it "fashionable" (my word, not yours) to hate the Yanks...that's just ridiculous. Are there bandwagon fans who've jumped on board at the right time? Sure. Every team gets those fans, the Yankees included. You want to hate us, go for it, but remember that you care more about that hatred than the players do.

It will be a long season yet again and the two teams will beat the hell out of each other along the way. I'll wait for your response, my friend...

As the article said, there was no Red Sox Nation before 2004.

Well said, and I can't argue your perspective especially since I can't even get bleacher seat tickets at a reasonable price anymore. It will be interesting to see what happens down the road should the team not be as competitive as they are now. Maybe I can get in on some season tickets then!

Here's to a long season

[Matthias]

It's become fashionable to talk about how all Red Sox fans are fashionable bandwagoners.

I became a Sox fan living in Boston in the mid-90's and the reason was the fans were knowledgeable. It's a great baseball town. For every Sox fan that you run into that draws a blank on naming current players, I'm sure you'll also find one who will talk about The Splendid Splinter and Bobby Dohr. The whole Red Sox-Yankees thing is overhyped, but that's ESPN's fault, not the team's. And to be fair, there were some great series played in the ALCS (and the regular season) in the last 10 years.

And as far as hating the Yankees, that's also not the fault of the Sox. Everyone hates the Yankees. My dad, who has spent his whole life in Minnesota and is a Twins fan, hates the Yankees. He's hated the Yankees for years.

Hmmm... maybe it's about time to start a Jimmy Rollins / NL East thread.