Who Cares Anymore? Going Beyond the Red Sox/Yankees for This Week in Baseball

I'm going to go out on a limb and speak for the rest of baseball (excluding ESPN and Fox Sports). But who cares about the Yankees/Red Sox series right now? Nothing ever seems to change in this division. One of these two teams is always on the bubble.

Besides, your own analysts have conceded that this is a great "prelude to the series at the end of August."  That's like saying an interleague series is a possible precursor to the World Series.

Yeah, we like to watch those games, but they don't matter worth anything right now.  We've come to accept it, why can't the AL East and Media?

We don't care that Red Sox fans despise A-Rod, and he's involved with Madonna. We don't care that Yankees’ fans think Manny is the most arrogant player to ever put on Red Socks. We don't care that this might be a future series in the playoffs.

There is other baseball to be played. Besides, you have both been shown up by the second lowest payroll in baseball in the Tampa Bay Rays.

It is one the best rivalries in sports. I have to concede that. The anger and hatred between these two teams may be on an Israeli-Palestinian level, but there are other things going on in the sport.

Other races to be had. Other players playing their hearts out for their fans.

Let's take a look at the games in Major League Baseball that will not be the Fox Game of the Week.

Cardinals @ NY Mets. I know Yankees’ fans here have trouble admitting there is another team in New York, but the Mets are in the fight for their lives, and this is a crucial series. STL coming off a four game broom running by the Brew Crew need to regain ground fast to be competitive. The Mets, fighting off the Phillies, were counted out at the All-Star Break through a managerial circus and seeming indifference by the players. This will be a big one.

Marlins @ Cubs. The Cubs who have been struggling recently have to welcome into town a team who has been downright fishy in the past. The Cubs may have gotten out a win to open the series behind their ace, but now they have to send Ryan Dempster out to face his former team. This series is key if the Cubs want to prove to the NL they can handle out of central opponents.

White Sox @ Tigers. This series is crucial to the White Sox if they want to maintain dominance in the AL Central. They have to get through a surging Tigers squad only to face off against the second place Twins later on the road trip. If they want to stay atop the division, they need wins in both these series.

So, you see sports fans, there is more to life than the Red Sox, Yankees rivalry. It's a good one, full of heckling little kids, false accusations, and booing at the All-Star game, but not bigger than the sport itself.

The media need to realize that the people of this great nation want to do more than watch one of 72 games these teams face off in.

Maybe the reason why this rivalry is considered so big isn't just because of the two cities and always impressive teams involved, but maybe it's because it is all the television networks seem to make us think matters in baseball.

Maybe if this overexposure didn't happen every other week, every season, I would be a little more forgiving. But excuse me for wanting to watch one of the other 29 teams in Major League Baseball.

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