Red Sox fans - a poll.

[Ol'Gaffer]

So much of the Red Sox frustration is wrapped up and centered on their history with the Yankees. It sometimes seems like the World Series is secondary and beating the Yankees is the team's primary motivation. With that in mind, I pose the following scenarios.

Scenario 1: The Yankees and Sox meet for the ALCS. Series is really dramatic, sterling play by both teams. Home team wins every game. Game 7 is in NY. Mussina vs. Pedro. Both pitchers pitch brilliantly. Manny hits a solo shot in the top of the 9th. Pedro comes back out for the for the bottom half, faces Jeter, A-Rod and Sheffield and strikes out the side Sox win 1-0 (or something equally dramatic).

However, they lose the Series in five games to St. Louis.

Scenario 2: Sox roll to the Series beating Anaheim and the Twins (who beat the Yankees in the Divisional Series). They then beat St. Louis in five games to win the Series.

My question then is...as a fan would you rather see your boys cut down the mighty Yankees in front of their own fans but lose the Series OR win the series but not having beat the Yankees to get there?

[silenus]

#1 for me. Why go for the kill, when you can go for the Pain? It's not enough for the Sox to win.....the damn Yankees must suffer in the process. Ideally, the last game of the ALCS should be a blow-out. A total humiliation of the Yankees in front of their fans. 15-0.

[Casey1505]

I would hate to see #1. I've said before that Pedro should never again see the 8th inning unless he's pitching a no-hitter.

# 2 would be nice. Damn nice.

As far as:

win the series but not having beat the Yankees to get there?

They did beat the Yankees to get there. They won the season series, keeping them in the wild card hunt and making the AL East race a little interesting in the second half.

[Telemark]

Winning the WS is what is important. Much too much is made of the Yankees rivalry. I hate the "Yankees Suck" mentality, it's so petty.

A 7 game series against the Yanks, if we won, would leave us drained for the WS. Let's get a ring first and then worry about winning the AL East next year.

[Ol'Gaffer]

Originally Posted by Telemark

Winning the WS is what is important. Much too much is made of the Yankees rivalry. I hate the "Yankees Suck" mentality, it's so petty.

A 7 game series against the Yanks, if we won, would leave us drained for the WS. Let's get a ring first and then worry about winning the AL East next year.

Do you mean "much too much" is made of the rivalry by the Sox and Yankee fans themselves or by others? What I mean is that as an A's fan I could care less who they beat if they win the whole thing (actually I would settle for getting out of the first round of the playoffs) but Red Sox fans seem to have a need to beat the Yankees to validate their success.

[CBCD]

As a Yankees fan, all I can say is 'Nanny, nanny, poo poo!'

[Honey]

Originally Posted by Ol'Gaffer

......Manny hits a solo shot in the top of the 9th. Pedro comes back out for the for the bottom half

This makes my blood run cold.

Winning the WS is the most important thing.

Off topic: Does anyone know the schedule for the WS. I know AL won the All-Star game so an AL team will have home field advantage. Will it be 3 at Al 2 at NL then (if necessary) 2 at AL?

[Trunk]

Originally Posted by Honey

This makes my blood run cold.

Winning the WS is the most important thing.

Off topic: Does anyone know the schedule for the WS. I know AL won the All-Star game so an AL team will have home field advantage. Will it be 3 at Al 2 at NL then (if necessary) 2 at AL?

It's always been

2
3
2

as long as I can remember.

[Honey]

Thanks Trunk.

It would be sweet if it happened at Fenway. But, I'll take it anywhere.

[Miabella]

I absolutely prefer to win the World Series. We've already beaten the Yankees in the season series, that works for me.

[silk1976]

Scenario 2.. beating the yankees is nice, but thats been done more (and more recently) then winning the world series. The fact is that the yankees have had their strings of success, and they've had their times - just like the pats are having their time in the NFL at the moment.

[Jackmannii]

Originally Posted by Ol'Gaffer

So much of the Red Sox frustration is wrapped up and centered on their history with the Yankees. It sometimes seems like the World Series is secondary and beating the Yankees is the team's primary motivation.

I think beating N.Y. is the motivation of numerous Sox fans. The team doesn't care all that much.

If it did, it would put a bit more effort during the season into winning its division. It has come in second to the Yankees something like seven times in a row. It has a wild-card mentality.

A Red Sox player was quoted during the team's stretch run this year as saying the last quarter of the season was what it was really all about. For the Yankees, the entire season is what it's all about. Which is why they win championships and the Red Sox do not.

I'd love to be wrong about this, but I expect the championship mentality of the Yankees to make the difference in the AL championship series again this year.

[Noone Special]

Oh, beating the Yankees could be nice, of course, but right now they must be taken as a detail, just The Next Opponent, on the way to the real thing - the WS... go over, under or through them ("around them" no longer being a possibility.)

But don't we just KNOW it'll all blow up in our faces in the 12th or 13th inning of game 7 (either series - take your pick... )

"Go Sox!" anyway!!

Dani
(still a Displaced Bostonian after nearly 40 years [])