E-Mail This Article to a Friend A New York state of mind (continued)

• Two prolific instances of poor sportsmanship rewarded occurred in Yankee games, and given the location, it is neither unexpected nor surprising. In 1996, during an ALCS contest between Baltimore and New York at Yankee Stadium, a ball hit by rookie shortstop Derek Jeter arced toward the right-field stands, but before Orioles right fielder Tony Tarasco could make the play, 12-year-old Jeffrey Maier reached out and deflected the ball into the stands. Outfield umpire Rich Garcia called it a home run, and though the Baltimore bench went ballistic, the home run stood and the Yanks went on to win the game in extra innings, and the series to advance to the World Series (which they won in six games over Atlanta). Was the hooky-playing Maier ejected? Reprimanded? No, he became a front-page-news hero in the eyes of Yankees fans, and the next night was watching Game Two of the Series from owner George Steinbrenner’s box seats. The other incident occurred three years earlier, on September 18, 1993. In that regular-season contest between the Red Sox and Yanks at the Stadium, Boston held a 3-1 lead with two outs in the ninth when Mike Stanley lofted a fly ball to Mike Greenwell in left. Greenwell apparently made the game-ending catch, but time had been called while the ball was in the air because a fan had run onto the field from the left-field grandstand. Stanley was given a do-over, got a single, and two hits and a walk later, the Yankees had walked away with an improbable 4-3 victory. Only in New York? Not necessarily, but certainly par for the course.

• The lopsided history: Let’s skip the world titles for now; let’s just remember the recent past: 1) blowing a 14-game lead in 1978; 1a) rallying to qualify for a one-game playoff, only to lose at home, 5-4; 2) Dave Righetti no-hits Boston, 7/4/83; 3) 1999 ALCS: NYY defeat Boston, four games to two; 4) NYY 22, Boston 1, on 6/19/00; 5) Pedro decks Don Zimmer; Grady Little leaves Pedro in too long; Sox blow 5-2 eighth-inning lead in Game Seven; Aaron Boone, etc.; 2003 ALCS: NYY 4 games, Boston 3; 6) Six straight seasons of Yankees first, Red Sox second in AL East.

• What other team would, in 1983, charge fans admission to what amounted to the final four outs to complete the controversial "pine-tar" game between the Royals and Yankees (ultimately a 16-pitch affair)? And what team would actually not accept the original ticket stubs for admission to the completed game, and actually went to court to prevent people from doing so? And what other team would actually try to get MLB to issue a forfeit earlier this month when its opponent, the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, could not get out of hurricane-ravaged Florida in time for the scheduled contest in the Bronx?

• Do we want to talk about the bottomless pit otherwise known as the Yankees’ payroll possibilities? New York fans can talk all they want about "home-grown talent" and "playing by the rules," but the Oakland A’s have plenty of home-grown talent as well, yet their roster changes from year to year. Why? Because Oakland cannot afford to keep their rising stars once they reach free agency; New York can, and does. That is why career Pinstripers like Jeter, Williams, Rivera, Posada are still there — and why Jason Giambi is, too. And Mike Mussina. And Sheffield. And until last season, Roger Clemens and Andy Pettitte. What other organization can afford to bankroll lopsided trades that allow it to acquire such superstars as Kevin Brown, Javier Vazquez, Roger Clemens, and a certain Mr. Alex Rodriguez? Sure, the Red Sox spend a lot of money, too, but they’re still $60 million below the Bombers, and $60 million is more than a lot of other MLB teams’ whole payrolls. No, it doesn’t automatically assure the Yankees of a world championship, but it certainly allows them to field a veritable all-star team nightly, and that by all means gives them a certain advantage over the D-Rays, Royals, and Indians of the world.

• Finally, the players. When the current generation of Yankee haters was growing up, they had some easy marks when it came to expressing disdain: the rugged Thurman Munson, the scowling Goose Gossage, the arrogant Reggie Jackson, the cocky Rickey Henderson, and the seemingly-sneering Bucky Dent. Add to that the other high-priced free agents that only the New Yorkers could conjure up, and you had a team worthy of booing. During the recent mini-dynasty, it has become a bit more difficult to find Yankees devoid of good character, but that hasn’t stopped some in Red Sox Nation to direct their contempt at Jeter (too much of a playboy, and his bobbing and weaving in the batter’s box to avoid a strike call is legendary), Bernie Williams (for forsaking the Sox at the last minute during his free agency and re-signing with George), Jose Contreras (leaving Boston at the altar and suddenly signing with New York), A-Rod (ditto, but also for playing the innocent when it came to his role in instigating the bench-clearing brawl at Fenway in July), and Mussina and Giambi (perceived mercenaries). And don’t get them started on seeing long-time Soxers Roger Clemens and Wade Boggs finally become world champions — in pinstripes. And while there are some current Yankees that could legitimately be described as detriments to team chemistry (Kenny Lofton, Kevin Brown, Sheffield), guys like Hideki Matsui, Tom Gordon, and Tony Clark are all fine upstanding individuals.

Granted, Red Sox fans harbor just as much bitterness at the baseball gods as they do toward their neighbors four hours to the south. Forget the excruciating Game-Seven losses in 1946, 1967, 1975, and 1986; think about the circumstances surrounding each of those match-ups. In ’46, Ted Williams had been hit in the elbow during an exhibition game that was scheduled in order to pass time while the Cardinals finished their playoff series with the Brooklyn Dodgers. The Splendid Splinter went on to bat .200 with no home runs in the Series. In ’67, rookie sensation Tony Conigliaro was hit in the face with a pitch a month before the playoffs, and had to miss all of the post-season. In 1975, Rookie-of-the-Year candidate Jim Rice had his hand broken by a pitched ball in September, and he missed the epic series against the Reds. And finally, in the 1986 playoffs the Sox were forced to do without the services of mid-season pick-up Tom Seaver, who hurt his ankle in September and never pitched another game. In his place, Boston was forced to start journeyman Al Nipper in Game Four of the World Series, and not surprisingly he was lit up by the Mets as the "other" New Yorkers bounced back from a 2-0 Series deficit. We all know the rest.

Those bad breaks (literally and figuratively) certainly weren’t the Yankees’ fault, but they have contributed to Red Sox’ fans long-simmering resentment, and the Pinstripers are a convenient scapegoat.

So do Red Sox fans have a legitimate gripe with the New York Yankees? Are they right to despise them so much? Or are they just a bunch of crybaby whiners?

Doesn’t matter. This is America, and people have the right to be repulsed by whomever they want to. And though it doesn’t forgive the boorish "Yankees Suck" chant that too often rings through Fenway Park, in Boston there’s little that’s fair and balanced regarding the history of these star-crossed franchises.

And so it is that in the case of Red Sox fans, hating the Yankees has become a healthy, perennial, and year-round endeavor — and one that’s sweeping the nation.

Christopher Young writes the twice-weekly "Sporting Eye" column on this site.