04/22/09 9:07 PM ET
The biggest names among the newest Yankees have all experienced the feeling of being under the lights at Fenway Park, trying to block out an intimate and passionate crowd intent upon jeering their every movement in road-gray uniforms.
But this weekend will be different for all of them, because their jerseys will be the must-boo apparel around Yawkey Way -- form-fitting polyester stitched with "NEW YORK" in loud, bold lettering across the chest.
Yes, it is Yankees vs. Red Sox time again, and Mark Teixeira is among those who is ready to find out exactly what it feels like.
"This is one of the greatest rivalries in sports," Teixeira said. "It's great for baseball and it will always be great for baseball. If anything, the energy that comes from the fans being into it locks you in. I remember when I was in the playoffs last year in Boston, I never felt more focused in my career. The boos, the energy, whatever you call it, it really kind of just locks you in."
Teixeira figures to get the brunt of the fan reaction all weekend, having shunned the Red Sox's advances to sign an eight-year, $180 million contract with the Yankees. Teixeira received a very vocal response during the Opening Week series at Baltimore, his hometown club, but the Boston crowds should be able to raise the decibel level a bit more.
"I never hear anything -- there's so much noise, you never really hear any words," Teixeira said. "I'm sure it will be the same. I expect heavy boos. I expect nothing less from those fans."
Also wearing interlocking "NY" logos upon their caps for the first time on a New England weekend is Saturday's starter, A.J. Burnett, as well as left-handed ace CC Sabathia, who will not pitch in the series. Outfielder Nick Swisher got a taste of the White Sox-Cubs rivalry last year and expects Yankees-Red Sox to trump it.
"As much as you want to think to yourself it's just another game, it's not," Swisher said. "It's completely different. There's just an electricity in the ballpark you don't get very often, except for the postseason.
"That's what I'm thinking, from the things that have happened in the past. As early in the season that it is to go there, I know we're looking forward to it and it's going to be a lot of fun. It's going to be intense."
For the Yankees who have been through it, a series at Fenway Park is more about getting down to business, counting off the minutes until the hoopla dies down and the actual games can begin.
"We know that we're going to battle these guys a ton of times this year," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. "We all know what the atmosphere is going to be. A Boston-Yankees series is great for baseball and we look forward to it."
Once the doors close to the cramped visiting clubhouse and the first pitch is thrown, the game regains some normalcy, and a regular-season April series can't compare to the highs that were felt during those epic postseasons.
"It's the same old, same old," Yankees catcher Jorge Posada said. "You've still got to throw strikes and run 90 feet between bases. It doesn't change."
"We just want to string together some wins," Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter said. "We'll go up to Boston and just hope this can continue and we'll play well."
So for the zest of the series and the pure excitement, eyes will be focusing on the newcomers, all of whom will likely see something they have never before witnessed over the course of the three games.
"I just don't think I can get any higher with Red Sox and Yankees," Swisher said. "That's the premier, that's the tip top. I know it's going to be a lot of fun. Hopefully we come out on top, and I do know I'm really looking forward to it."
The biggest names among the newest Yankees have all experienced the feeling of being under the lights at Fenway Park, trying to block out an intimate and passionate crowd intent upon jeering their every movement in road-gray uniforms.
But this weekend will be different for all of them, because their jerseys will be the must-boo apparel around Yawkey Way -- form-fitting polyester stitched with "NEW YORK" in loud, bold lettering across the chest.
Yes, it is Yankees vs. Red Sox time again, and Mark Teixeira is among those who is ready to find out exactly what it feels like.
"This is one of the greatest rivalries in sports," Teixeira said. "It's great for baseball and it will always be great for baseball. If anything, the energy that comes from the fans being into it locks you in. I remember when I was in the playoffs last year in Boston, I never felt more focused in my career. The boos, the energy, whatever you call it, it really kind of just locks you in."
Teixeira figures to get the brunt of the fan reaction all weekend, having shunned the Red Sox's advances to sign an eight-year, $180 million contract with the Yankees. Teixeira received a very vocal response during the Opening Week series at Baltimore, his hometown club, but the Boston crowds should be able to raise the decibel level a bit more.
"I never hear anything -- there's so much noise, you never really hear any words," Teixeira said. "I'm sure it will be the same. I expect heavy boos. I expect nothing less from those fans."
Also wearing interlocking "NY" logos upon their caps for the first time on a New England weekend is Saturday's starter, A.J. Burnett, as well as left-handed ace CC Sabathia, who will not pitch in the series. Outfielder Nick Swisher got a taste of the White Sox-Cubs rivalry last year and expects Yankees-Red Sox to trump it.
"As much as you want to think to yourself it's just another game, it's not," Swisher said. "It's completely different. There's just an electricity in the ballpark you don't get very often, except for the postseason.
"That's what I'm thinking, from the things that have happened in the past. As early in the season that it is to go there, I know we're looking forward to it and it's going to be a lot of fun. It's going to be intense."
For the Yankees who have been through it, a series at Fenway Park is more about getting down to business, counting off the minutes until the hoopla dies down and the actual games can begin.
"We know that we're going to battle these guys a ton of times this year," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. "We all know what the atmosphere is going to be. A Boston-Yankees series is great for baseball and we look forward to it."
Once the doors close to the cramped visiting clubhouse and the first pitch is thrown, the game regains some normalcy, and a regular-season April series can't compare to the highs that were felt during those epic postseasons.
"It's the same old, same old," Yankees catcher Jorge Posada said. "You've still got to throw strikes and run 90 feet between bases. It doesn't change."
"We just want to string together some wins," Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter said. "We'll go up to Boston and just hope this can continue and we'll play well."
So for the zest of the series and the pure excitement, eyes will be focusing on the newcomers, all of whom will likely see something they have never before witnessed over the course of the three games.
"I just don't think I can get any higher with Red Sox and Yankees," Swisher said. "That's the premier, that's the tip top. I know it's going to be a lot of fun. Hopefully we come out on top, and I do know I'm really looking forward to it."
The article interest me because I'm a huge yankees fan and when they play the Red Sox it's always a exciting game to watch.
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