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UNITED STATES - JULY 24: Home plate umpire Bruce Froemming tries to separate New York Yankees' Alex Rodriguez (left) and Boston Red Sox's catcher Jason Varitek as they argue after Rodriguez was hit by a pitch in the third inning of game at Fenway Park. Shortly thereafter, Varitek pushed Rodriguez in the face and a bench-clearing brawl ensued. Froemming ejected both players from the game. The Red Sox went on to defeat the Yanks, 11-10, tying the three-game series. (Photo by Andrew Savulich/NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images)

Is the Yankees-Red Sox Rivalry Dead?

Tonight, the Yankees and Red Sox square-off for the first of 19 games this season. This weekend should be circled on every Yankees and Red Sox fans calendar, but in reality, it’s just another weekend series.

Do you remember the feeling you’d have before a Yankees-Red Sox series? Ten years ago each and every game was war. 24 hours leading up to a series my stomach would be in knots. If the Yankees lost, I’d be miserable. If they won, it would mean bragging rights until the next time they played.

I’d work every situation out in my head. How the Yankees starters were going to navigate through David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez. How the Yankees bats needed to knock Pedro out of the game by the 6th inning. Who was going to get the 5-6 outs before Mo could come in. It was all I thought about. I ate, slept, and breathed Yankees-Red Sox.

Now what?

19 dates on the calendar of “just another game.” What used to be the best rivalry in sports is, arguably, not even the most heated New York-Boston rivalry today. The obsessive hatred each fan base had for the other in the 70s, 90s, and 2000s no longer exists.

Why – where has the rivalry gone?

The Yankees and Red Sox set a standard from 1999 to 2004 that will probably never be matched. Not only did they meet in 3 Championship Series, but also fought over off-season acquisitions like Mike Mussina, Bernie Williams, Jose Contreras, and Curt Schilling.

The two teams were highly competitive. During that 6-year span, the Yankees finished first in the AL East each year and the Red Sox second. The big brother/little brother dynamic was real. Each season the Yankees were swatting away the Red Sox as they scratched and clawed to get at the king.

That constant back-and-forth spawned real hatred. Pedro Martinez, who to this day talks about respect in the game, threw a 72-year old Don Zimmer to the ground. Jason Varitek, with his catcher’s mask still on, picked a fight with ARod to get his team fired-up. Joba Chamberlain threw at Kevin Youkilis, and then threw at Kevin Youkilis again. The two teams hated one another, which made for tremendous drama on the field. It bled into the fans and we loved every second of it.

Since 2004 the teams have not met in the playoffs and the most recent 6-year span has been anything but competitive. The Red Sox won a championship but have otherwise been a last place finisher, while the Yankees have been muddled in mediocrity – happy to be in the playoff race.

The hate is gone. Any recent drama has been short-lived because the teams cycle through players at such a rapid rate that they aren’t there long enough to develop any bad blood. The players that are mainstays – ARod and Ortiz – are nearing the end of their careers and more concerned with Instagram posts and farewell tours.

There was no clearer sign the rivalry was dead then when Derek Jeter played his final game at Fenway. He got a standing ovation, and then some. I’m not saying the Fenway fans should have booed him, but the outpouring of love for Jeter from the Red Sox organization and fans was over-the-top. I mean these were the same people that routinely chanted ARod Sucks! Jeter Swa—s!, right? The hate is gone, vanished with no remnants. That, I hate.

This year the Yankees are making their first trip to Boston on a cold streak, but that does not mean the rivalry has to remain dormant. 2016 has all the makings of a renewed rivalry – the Red Sox just signed David Price, a longtime Yankees nemesis. ARod, despite enjoying the benefits of his ARodissance, is still hated in Boston. Both teams have young players expected to stay a while – Castro, Didi, Bogaerts, and Betts. And with the firepower each bullpen packs, late inning drama is likely.

Even though the Yankees and Red Sox strategies seem to be more forward-looking than 2016-focused, this year can still be significant. I hope for the sake of us fans, the rivalry returns, because I don’t like being the guy who says ‘I miss the old days.’