Teams To Root For, Part 2

The second team on my list of teams to root for now that the Mariners are definitely out of the running is...
...the Boston Red Sox

After a tumultuous offseason, where the Alex Rodriguez non-signing over shadowed the more important signings of Curt Schilling and Keith Foulke, the Red Sox are in a great position this year. Their offense was incredible last year, and their fault was lack of pitching depth. They clearly addressed that this offseason, so ARod or no ARod (not like it would have hurt to have the second best player on the planet) the Red Sox are in good shape.

Now, unless you're a fan of the skankees, you should be at least mildly rooting for the Red Sox already. Rooting for the Red Sox is an intrinsic part in hating the skankees (something with which I've grown quite proficient). Even fans of the skankees can rejoice in some success for the beantown crew because there will finally be some stiff competition come October, which would hopefully strengthen the rivalry. At that point, of course, you'd better be rooting for one team or the other. Make no mistake, I'd rather not see the skankees sniff the post season, but if you're a skankee fan, you want them to make it, and who better to beat than the Red Sox, right? So we're all rooting for the Red Sox to make the playoffs, really.

I'll be rooting against the skankees all year, and all my life. Part of that is rooting for success for the likes of Toronto, Baltimore, and of course, Boston. I'm not saying I'm a Boston fan, but I'll be rooting for them as part of my fervent hatred for the pinstriped pinocchios.

The Red Sox have weathered most of the storm, hoping to have a full roster in the next few weeks. Nomar's return is on the horizon, and although some other players have been banged up off and on, having your starting shortstop back is always a good thing.

They're on top of the division now, playing well through the injuries and getting some solid help from their pitching. The skankees are never out of it, though, and we all know georgie porgie will swing a deal or two later in the summer, to try get the skankees in a better position to win (in the short term anyway).

This is one of baseball's best rivalries. Make sure you're on the right side of the fence come October.