Peter Gammons Has a Real Problem With Red Sox Fans Chanting "Yankees Suck"

The Boston Red Sox jumped out to a 5-0 lead and held on for a one-run victory in Game 1 of the American League Divisional Series against the New York Yankees. These two teams don’t particularly care for each other (maybe you’ve heard about the rivalry) and the animosity often comes out in the form of mean-spirited chants.

In the Bronx it’s “Boston sucks.” At Fenway it’s “Yankees suck.” Venerable baseball writer Peter Gammons, who has seen more baseball between these two teams than pretty much anyone, took issue with this practice last night.

Have you ever thought about it this way? I’ve never thought about it this way. Then again, this is a very specific event that only happened a few days ago. People love a colorful simile, but may need some time weighing the validity of this one.

It’s a safe bet that Boston fans will continue to use the chant at Game 2 tonight and throughout the series. They’ll continue to use it even when they aren’t playing the Yankees. And Yankees fans, in turn, will use it liberally.

These are fan favorites. Crowd-pleasers that aren’t really subjected to critical thinking. Don’t expect that to change, no matter how strong of a take Gammons cooks up.