The Greatest Rivalry In Sports Has Lost Its Edge

Babe Ruth. Bucky Dent. Aaron Boone. Pedro Martinez. Dave Roberts. And now, Alex Rodriguez? The Yankees-Red Sox rivalry has lasted nearly a century long, and there are countless moments that have defined the success of both franchises. But has the rivalry lost its spark?

It's strange to believe, but the absence of Alex Rodriguez has removed any animosity towards both teams. David Ortiz remains as the only player left from the 2004 championship Red Sox team, and Derek Jeter remains as the only player left in New York who contributed to the bitter rivalry over the last decade. Both future Hall of Fame candidates have never shared any animosity, so does this explain why the rest are afraid to take action? Has the MLB become so strict with suspensions and lawsuits that it makes ballplayers reluctant to step up and defend their ball clubs? Both teams have changed rosters so drastically that all of the players have no beef against one another. What happened to the brawls? We saw a snippet of it last year between A-Rod and Ryan Dempster, but they're both gone. 

Over the last few seasons, I've noticed a declining interest in this rivalry. One legitimate reason is because ESPN hosts Sunday Night Baseball between New York and Boston all the time, which lowers the significance of the games. Not to mention the games drag on and on for more than four hours. All I am saying is that some of baseball's greatest moments occur in Yankee Stadium and Fenway Park, and it's important that not only the fans, but the players renew the rivalry. After all, these division match ups are what everyone looks forward to. It's all about the bragging rights.