Yankees vs. Red Sox: Same Rivalry; New Managers

From the desk of:  BLAME CARLOS MAY

RIVALRY

LET THE GAMES BEGIN!

Don't look now, but the Boston Red Sox are off to an historic start.  They've jumped out in front of the American League East with an 8-1 record.  The Yankees, meanwhile, plod into Boston with a 5-5 record that actually smells worse than it looks.

In any event, the rivalry is off and running, again.

Both teams enter this season with new skippers at the helm, neither of which has any previous major league managerial experience.  However, one is undoubtedly more qualified than the other.

I would argue Boston beat Brian Cashman to the punch.  The Red Sox were the early bird and Alex Cora was their proverbial worm.  Within a day of the World Series ending New England was being introduced to their new manager.  The Yankees general manager took a much more deliberate, if not quizzical approach towards replacing Joe Girardi, waiting till early December before even interviewing Aaron Boone.

It certainly helped that Cora played for the Red Sox (2005-2008), and won a championship with them.  As it pertains to the present situation, he was also embraced by the fans.  His baseball acumen by then had been gaining widespread acclaim throughout baseball.  The same was being said of him during his brief stint with the Mets.

Upon his retirement as a player, Cora became an executive in Puerto Rico's professional baseball league.  He served as general manager of his hometown Criollos de Caguas, and in 2016 won the LBPRC championship.  He continued serving as general manager for Team Puerto Rico during the 2016-17 Serie del Caribe and captured his second championship of the winter.  Cora followed up again as general manager for Team Puerto Rico for the 2017 World Baseball Classic, in which his team came up one game short of winning a third winter championship within the span of just a few months.  Only Team USA prevented that.  He parlayed that resume into his first major league position, serving as bench coach last season with the World Series champion Houston Astros.

Aaron Boone obviously has baseball coursing through his veins.  His grandfather, father, and brother all played at the major league level.  From the cradle through the present day, the baseball life is all he knows.  In fact, the Yankees general manager was so impressed with Boone that he handed him the job on the spot despite his lack of any practical coaching/managerial experience.

He likewise owns a special place in the hearts of Yankee fans.  Aaron's extra inning home run off Red Sox knuckle ball pitcher Tim Wakefield clinched the 2003 American League pennant for the Yankees, and propelled them to a World Series match-up against the Florida Marlins.  His days as a Yankee were limited to just 54 regular season games, though, due to him busting his ankle while playing in a pick up basketball game during the off-season.  Boone missed all of 2004, then retired from playing in 2009.  After which, he has spent the last eight years with ESPN Sunday Night Baseball.

The next episode in the Yankees/Red Sox rivalry begins now.

Reggie Jackson once said: Fans don't boo nobodys!

Giancarlo Stanton got booed.  So what?!

Plenty of people get booed in this town.  Sometimes I condone it; sometimes not.  Most times I remain ambivalent.  Booing players is nevertheless a time honored tradition as ancient as the game itself.  Booing varies from instance to instance, but one thing boo-birds do not engage in is discrimination.  Every one from Babe Ruth to Mariano Rivera and Derek Jeter, to Carlos Beltran, Johan Santana and Mike Piazza, have been booed by New York City fans.  They say Mickey Mantle got booed all the time.  I'd even venture to say we're a docile lot when compared to crowds of Babe Ruth's era.

If that's going to bother Staton - which I do not believe it will - then he's got a much bigger problem on his hands than just striking out 20 times through his first 42 at-bats of the season.  Perhaps this isn't going to be his kind of town after all.  Although the Yankees are only ten games into their season, truth be told these were the ten most important games he's ever played in - if for no other reason than he plays in the Bronx now, not Coconut Grove.

But truth be told - he's self accountable and a well spoken man.  I believe he will ultimately stand up to New York City media and fan scrutiny.