Issue date: 10/14/04 Section: Opinion

When that good 'ole region-wide inferiority complex rears its ugly head in any overcrowded public place, you are left with only two options: 1) Caveman Up and start chanting "Yankees Suck!" with the rest of the Neanderthals/Boston sports fans, or 2) Ask why? Why do the Damn New York Yankees have to be brought into everything we as New Englanders say or do?

Whether it's celebrating a Super Bowl victory, filing out of a rock concert or going to church, in Boston it's awfully likely that you'll hear that now infamous two-word chant expressing our contempt for the Bronx Bombers.

Well, let's face it. The Yankees do suck; not in the sense that 26 World Championships constitutes failure, but in the sense that more often than not (or how about always), they're No. 1 and we're No. 2. As loyal and devout members of Red Sox Nation - did you get your ID card yet? - why should we waste our energies on those bums? Forget 'em.

This epic rivalry between the Yankees and Red Sox should not exist between the Yankees and the Yankee-haters. This is as good as baseball gets in the American League, and it doesn't need any juicy catch phrases to spice it up one bit. True fans of the game will appreciate this fact and enjoy the 2004 ALCS regardless of the outcome. It's going to be the national pastime at its finest, and that in itself deserves respect.

And what about our self-respect as a fandom? Surely, we Red Sox have a star-crossed history filled with a Pesky cast of Boone's, Bucky's and Buckner's to stew over. But we sure are giving George Steinbrenner a run for his money this season, whether he'd admit it to you or not.

Being a Red Sox fan isn't about hating the Yankees, regardless of what those t-shirt and hat venders outside Fenway Park might want you to think. Being a Sox fan is about reveling in the role of the underdog. As Boston sports fans we are entitled to, whenever THE YEAR may come, one of the most monumental victories in North American team competition. When that day comes, why even acknowledge the Evil Empire?

With a roster full of self-described "idiots" and "scumbags," it's easy to distinguish this ball club from Steinbrenner's collection corporate minions. Hey, if there ever were a Sox team to beat New York, wouldn't it be fitting that this hairy bunch do the deed?

But the next time you find yourself walking home after a game, think twice before you start chanting THE CHANT. If it's in the agony of defeat, it'll be easier thinking about the Patriots, not pinstripes. And if it's in the ecstasy of victory, why even give those suckers the satisfaction?

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