Tired of the Red Sox & Yankees?

By Jeff Christian

Published: August 23, 2008

Are you tired of the New York Yankees against the Boston Red Sox? The two teams are in the American League East and play each other 18 times during the regular season.
Each and every time the two meet on the diamond, FOX, ESPN, or WTBS act as if its the American League’s version of the World Series.
The only problem, neither team is as good as they used to be.
Boston, if the playoffs started Saturday, would make the playoffs as the wildcard.
As for the Yankees, they would just go home.
At 10.5 games out of first place, the Yankees, with the highest payroll in the Major League’s, are struggling down the stretch. They are 5-5 over their last 10 games and six games out in the wildcard race.
Despite their record, we will be spoon-fed the Yankees and Red Sox the remainder of the season.
The two teams have played 12 games so far this season, wtih six remaining, beginning Tuesday night in the Bronx with a three-game series.
The Wednesday night game will be aired on ESPN. While the New York Mets hold a 2.5-game lead over the Philadelphia Phillies in the National League East, and the Milwaukee Brewers hold a 2.5-game lead over the St. Louis Cardinals in the race for the National League wildcard lead, we get the Yankees and the Red Sox.
The Mets play the Phillies on Wednesday night, as do the Brewers and the Cardinals.
It was fun to watch the Yankees play the Red Sox for a couple of years, but without Manny Ramirez, the Red Sox are just another baseball team.
And as for the Yankees, well, they should be ashamed with the all-star roster they have and they are looking at a double-digit deficit to the Tampa Bay Rays of all teams.
But in the grand scheme of things, both teams have disappointed in a big way this season.
Entering play Saturday, the Yankees were only eight games over .500, while the Red Sox stood at 20 games over, yet hanging on the wildcard lead by just a half-game over the Chicago White Sox.
If you are a Yankees or Red Sox fan, enjoy Wednesday night. As for me, I’ll try to find some tape-delayed action of some sport I’ve never heard of in the Olympics. Oh wait, the Olympics will be over.
And I missed the BMX competition.
• AND FINALLY, the college football season opens up this week, so in Wednedsay’s edition of the Potomac News and Manassas Journal Messenger, we will take a look at what teams are going to what bowls this year and who will win the national championship.
Jeff Christian is the assistant sports editor of the Potomac News/Manassas Journal Messenger. He can be reached a .