Randy Smith: A Chattanooga Yankee Visits Red Sox Country

I've written many times about my love for the New York Yankees. Since I was just a boy, I have loved the pinstripes with a passion. I became a Yankee fan at the age of 10 when Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris were chasing the great Babe Ruth's single season home run record in 1961 and from that day forward 60 years later I still love the Yankees. People have questioned me many times about my fondness for the Yankees and how in the world a kid from Tennessee could love a baseball team from the Bronx. It was simple. The Yankees won and they won a lot. They also had Mickey Mantle, Roger Maris, Yogi Berra, Whitey Ford and many others who were among the best players in the game. To this day I can name the starting lineup and the batting order for the 1961 Yankees.

Several months ago my wife Shelia informed me that she wanted to go to New England over Fall Break.  It sounded like a wonderful trip...one that would take us to Pennsylvania and Amish country, then on to New York and the Hamptons then we would wind our way toward Massachusetts, to Salem, Essex, Gloucester and finally Boston. I had even made sure I had tickets to game three of the American League Divisional series at Yankee Stadium if the Yanks had beaten the Red Sox in the Wildcard game. As it turned out, the hated Red Sox won, so we settled for a stop at Coney Island instead.

I went on the trip prepared. I had my Yankees hoodie and I bought a brand new Yankees cap while in New York. Nobody would mistake me for a Red Sox fan, I made sure of that. Now you have to remember, the Yankees-Red Sox rivalry is one of the oldest and most fierce rivalries in all of sports. In fact, I have proclaimed many times it is the most heated rivalry known to man. I got my first taste of that discord in Salem as we boarded a trolley. The guide spotted my Yankee cap and immediately started goading me about the Wildcard loss. I wasn't really expecting it so soon so I just sat and smiled at him. The next time, I would be ready.

The next time came pretty quickly. Actually it was the same day. A guy wearing a Boston sweatshirt yelled at me from a distance, " Hey Yankee...wait 'til next year." 

I walked over to the guy and said, "You know, if you put all of your World Series rings on your hands, you'd still have an empty finger. (Boston has won nine championships in 120 years) But if I did the same thing, I would have to use both hands, all my toes and I would still have seven rings left (Yankees have won 27). So don't talk to me about next year." 

The look on the man's face was priceless. He smiled and walked away because he knew I was right. I had to repeat that line again a couple of times while in New England and got the same response every time. It was so much fun.

The trip was amazing and Gloucester could be the most beautiful little town I've ever been in. Plus, the seafood was the best I've ever had anywhere or anytime. So, I would encourage anyone who hasn't been to New England to go. But be prepared...and be ready for anything. Those Red Sox fans are something else.