NEW YORK, NY – There is no bigger rivalry between two sports cities in this country than between New York and Boston. This has been going on since the days of Boston Red Sox star Babe Ruth being sold to the Yankees. I have been on both sides of the rivalry having grown up in New York City but spending my college years in Boston. I have always hated the Yankees so I have rooted for the Red Sox about as often as I have for the Mets. Of course when the Mets play the Red Sox there is no love shown for Boston whatsoever. Now it is the Bruins versus the Rangers and again I’m rooting for the Boston side because the Bruins always have been my hockey team going back to the days of Rick Middleton and Brad Park.
Boston does have a bit of an inferiority complex when it comes to most things outside of sports. New York is the undisputed capital of cool and will remain so for the foreseeable future. Brooklyn vs Brookline? C’mon now, people don’t brag to their friends back home about moving to Brookline, for Christ’s sake.
In the sports world Beantown has more than held it’s own with a recent string of championships for all four major sports franchises over the past 10 years. New York hasn’t had a basketball title in over four decades and it is coming up on twenty years since the Rangers hoisted the Stanley Cup. Overall, New York leads Boston 52 – 34 in outright championships in the four major sports. Here is the breakdown:
Yankees – 27
Giants (NFL) – 7
Rangers – 4
Islanders – 4
Giants (MLB) – 4
Mets – 2
Knicks – 2
Dodgers – 1
Jets – 1
Celtics – 17
Red Sox – 7
Bruins – 6
Patriots – 3
Braves – 1
Here is my list of Boston vs New York rivalries, though Mets vs. Red Sox doesn’t make the list because they just haven’t played enough, it has to be noted that they were involved in one of the greatest World Series of all-time.
Red Sox vs. Yankees – Not only have these teams been in the same division for over a century but they played in some of the most memorable games in baseball history: (Bucky Dent, Aaron Boone, Don Zimmer, Bloody Sock, etc). If this was a boxing match, it would be Dempsey vs. Tunney, an all-time classic.
Giants vs. Patriots – These teams have played two of the most memorable Super Bowls in history, so it shoots them right to the top of the list. The Giants have gotten the best of the Pats both times. In boxing this would be Clay vs. Liston; two beatings proved it was no fluke.
Celtics vs. Knicks – These teams renewed their playoff rivalry this year and like the Red Sox and Yankees have been in the same division forever. The one-sided nature of this rivalry makes this more of a Ray Robinson vs. Jake LaMotta match-up.
Bruins vs. Rangers – This current playoff series is the first between the two Garden inhabitants since 1973. But back in the 70’s this was a nasty affair which even carried over into the stands. Even though they play in different divisions now, the B’s and Broadway Blues always go after each other. Think Hagler vs. Hearns.
Bruins – Islanders – Back in the early ’80s the Islanders biggest competition in the east was the Boston Bruins. These teams had some incredible series that the Islanders always came out on top, much to the disdain of myself and Cheesy Bruin. These brawls were reminiscent of the Arturo Gatti vs. Micky Ward wars.
Patriots vs. Jets – This has been a one-sided affair for the past couple of decades. The Jets have had a couple of minutes of glory but overall it has been Tyson vs. Frazier.
Stay tuned tomorrow for a man who sings like Joe Frazier and fights like Marvis Frazier, Angry Ward.
