The Rivalry is Dead - Long Live The Rivalry!

David Schoenfeld of ESPN opined yesterday that the Red Sox/Yankee rivalry was "dead." Frankly I think his conclusion and reasoning both are incorrect but I did not want to focus on that.Instead it got me thinking about the recent history of this long-standing rivalry that dates back to the early-1900s. It has ebbed and flowed over the years as these things do and over the past 35 years the same has been true.With that in mind this is my opinion of how the rivalry has evolved since 1976;1976-1979 – Very HotThis was an intense period similar to 2003-2004 spilling into physical altercations and a genuine dislike among many of the participants.Player Personification – Thurman Munson vs. Carlton Fisk1980-1985 – TepidBoth teams were somewhat down during this period, the Sox more than the Yanks (who were very good the first couple of years) and both teams underwent big roster makeovers taking away some of the personal feelingsPlayer Personification – Steve Kemp and Glenn Hoffman...