The Paradigm Has Shifted

I don't believe in curses. Not many people do. But I think people like to talk about curses after long periods of failure in sports because it's fun to think about some third party force having it in for your team. When your team loses, it's not because the men that you root for couldn't get it done against the men someone else roots for. Your team sucked for a long time, how boring. It's because the men you root for are fighting an uphill battle against destiny. And voila! You're all set up to legend status once you finally end the drought. Thrilling.

In the midst of a brutally painful first series between the Yanks and Sox this past weekend, I had a revelation. I believe we are 4 years into the new paradigm of the Yankees-Red Sox rivalry. For decades, the Sox fought, albeit futilely, to match the success of their rivals. The fight, the losing, the resilience, the willingness to try again united Boston fans. The winning, the overcoming of the pressure, the conceit, the defense of the spending united NY fans. I can't say what set the events of the past 4 years in motion. I don't think anyone can. In 2004, the Red Sox were down to their last out, down 3-0 in the ALCS to the Yankees. I truly believe that every Yankee fan was poised for another victory, and every Sox fan ready for another loss at the hands of the Evil Empire. Amazingly, literal moments before its collapse, the empire was at it's apex. No slow decline. Just shock. Probably the greatest team story in the history of sports. Sometimes it doesn't matter how much one's ability to reason lets you know you can do something; you must actually do it to believe. But once you do, you know. And so does your opponent.

In Sunday's game, with the bases loaded in 2-1 ball game, Jacoby Ellsbury executed a straight steal of home against Andy Petite and Jorge Posada. It was one of the most exciting plays I've ever seen in real time. (Watch the video here: http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20090426&content_id=4446346&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb) The play was symbolic of the relationship the Sox and Yanks have had over the past few years. The Red Sox refuse to be denied, and the Yankees wear whatever the Red Sox throw on them. Posada must be able to see Ellsbury coming, because there is a left handed hitter at the plate, but he does not motion to Petite to get the ball home as fast as he can. More importantly, Posada receives the ball behind the plate, refusing to get up out of his crouch. Ellsbury actually trips and stumbles into a head first "dive" and beats the tag. Jorge has the reputation for being an "old school" player; he was embarrassed by Nick Swisher's laughter on the mound after striking out Gabe Kapler a few weeks ago. I would love to know how many "old school" catchers would let a cocky young lead-off man for his franchise's greatest rival slide headfirst into home plate and find anything short of shin guards and broken noses waiting for him there. Even if Petite hasn't yet gotten him the ball, Posada needs to be standing up and blocking the plate, ready to make Ellsbury regret it, even if he does get home safely. Such an incredibly gutty, exciting play by Ellsbury and such an incredibly soft and careless play from Posada. That play made me feel like I bet Sox Nation used to feel when the Yankee's would roll into town and just always find a way beat them, whether by their own greatness, or a Boston shortcoming. This play had both, but for now, and I'm afraid to think of how long, it had the Yanks on the losing end. Combined with the two blown leads on Friday and Saturday, it's starting to feel like an inevitability.