This is my own personal story of what the Yankees should mean to everyone. I’d say it was about two years ago where my colleague Paul and I and went to a specific Sox-Yankee game. We went to about 24 games that year, no game was more special than this particular Saturday afternoon. The first playoff game at the end of the season was very close though. Sitting in the bleachers in mid summer made it hot. Fans were waving their hands at their face trying to cool down. Everyone either had an Italian ice, a Coke, Beer, or an ice cream, anything would help.

If you’ve ever been to Fenway during the summer you know how some of those guys get in the bleachers. Shirts off trying start the wave while other people shouting, “Get out of the way, #@&*.” As Paul stated earlier, anywhere in the stands the chants start “Yankees Suck, Yankees Suck” followed by “1918, 1918” back and forth on and on. I’ve been to many games where these two teams fought it out, and all the fans are the same. We enjoy the innocent fighting between us. One such game, we talked to different fans in between innings, but once the teams took the field it was war in the stands.

My “moment” of joy came not before or during the game, but at the end. A small group of college aged guys who were drinking throughout the game where cheering on a Yankee victory, those bastards, while they watched Red Sox and other fans file out of the bleachers. In front of us was a man with his small son, probably 8 – 10 years old. As we all approached these Yankee fans reveling in their victory, one of them looked down to boy, raised his own hand and said, “Gimme five.” As the Yankee fan stood there looking down at the boy waiting for something to happen, the boy looked right up at the guy and stated abruptly “I’m sorry I can’t…you’re a Yankee fan!” The father picked up his son with a great hug, and all the fans within hearing distance, Yankee, Red Sox, and Brewers (if there were any) erupted in unison a cry of laughter that will always stay with me.

As we walked up Lansdowne street we continued to talk about that moment and I realized at that very moment, “the father…the father molded his son”, and I’m sure will continue to do so, on the education of the legacy in which brought them to that game. Year in and year out Fenway Park floods with visitors during the two Yankee series during the season and sells out of every single one of them. There are a lot of fans that come just to watch a great rivalry, those who travel from New York hoping to tease the local fans, and most important, those fans who bring their kids to the game and show them the Yankees really do suck!

By all means, if you have any comments or questions email me at mark@redsox2000.com