Haven't checked in on this thread for a few days...

Big Mick! I you were really such a long-time BoSox fan, you would already have KNOWN the middle name shared by those three guys, and therefore not have fouled your skivvies!

I grew up near New York as a Giants fan (they weren't always in San Francisco, you youngsters out there) and later, in '62 -- like all the other Giant and Dodger faithful -- learned that I had been a Mets fan all my life. I have no great attachment to the Yankees, but don't hate 'em either (having grown up peaceably with so many Yank devotees).

The financial disparity among MLB teams, certainly, is disruptive to competitive balance and therefore unfair not only to the "have-not" teams, but also to *all* fans of the game. However: even though a low payroll may prevent a team from enjoying great success, a high payroll does not guarantee anything at all. Witness my hapless Mets, and also Steinbrenner's pre-Joe-Torre Yankees. Boss George couldn't buy a championship for many years, no matter how hard he tried, no matter how many mangers he fired, and no matter how many times he re-hired Billy Martin. But now, with a truly brilliant manager in charge, the Yankees have once again become a "dynasty."

I'll be watching the Sox-Yanks series with great interest, but no rooting interest at all. On the one hand, I would love to see Boston finally get a break and win the Big One for a change; on the other hand, as someone who truly admires Torre (and Derek Jeter, too), I wouldn't feel badly about a Yankee victory, either.

Of course, come the next and final round, I'll revert (out of habit, if nothing else) to my lifelong allegiance to the senior circuit and root for the NL representative in the World Series, be it Houston or St. Louis.