Idiots Unite

From the instant Aaron Boone's home run cleared the left-field wall last October, the Yankees and Red Sox have been building to this.

The tug-of-war over Alex Rodriguez, the sniping between owners, the on-field fight and the off-field posturing. If not inevitable, a rematch seemed fated.

And come Tuesday night, the players, the fans and the sponsors get what they want: New York and Boston, fighting for the AL pennant again.

Clash of the titans for the pennant," Boone said Sunday. "I think a lot of people wanted to see this. I'm looking forward to following it."

The rivalry brings out the best and worst, on the field and off, leaving baseball's biggest spenders fixated on each other above all else that's why Pedro Martinez proclaimed after losing to New York last month

"Call the Yankees my daddy. I can't find a way to beat them at this point."

Unless they were in the same ballpark, games were merely preludes or postscripts this year. New York's 3-1 series win over the Twins in the opening round of the playoffs merely a tease, Boston's three-game sweep of the Angels an appetizer before the meat of the main course.

In the long run, Derek Jeter's flying dive into the stands to grab Trot Nixon's pop-up on July 1 and Nomar Garciaparra's no-show that night will be remembered far longer than either first-round series.

"If not now, then when?"

Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein said Sunday at Fenway Park.

Idiots worldwide are thrilled. They've never had such great p.r."

he said, playing off his players' nickname for themselves.

"Now that it's here, we can admit that if we're able to win a World Series and go through New York along the way, it will mean that much more."

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