3.8 Seconds

If you had one shot or one opportunity

To seize everything you ever wanted in one moment

Would you capture it? Or just let it slip?

- Eminem

Who would have thought that words echoed by rap artist Eminem would ring so true in what I'm about to discuss. The Yankees - Red Sox rivalry, the sporting equivalent of the Greek's and the Persian's has spanned the course of time for nearly a century since the date of January 3, 1920; the day Babe Ruth was sold to the Yankees. From that point on, the rivalry had begun and would evolve on and off the field with players and fans alike, but, we'll get back to that in a minute.

Let's fast forward 84 years, 9 months and 15 days. The date on the calendar reads October 17, 2004. For any Yankee or Red Sox fan, this is a day held in infamy; it's the day it all changed. The Yankees are one year removed from defeating the Red Sox in the 2003 American League Championship Series in one of the greatest playoff series in history. The Yankees now find themselves a mere 3 outs away from their second consecutive playoff elimination of the Boston Red Sox and successfully winning their 40th Major League pennant. Mariano Rivera, the greatest relief pitcher in baseball history stoically stands atop the mound, his heart pounding, but his nerves undeniably calm. Nobody is aware of the history altering moment that is about to happen.

Kevin Millar steps into the batter's box leading off the 9th inning, as the Red Sox trail the Yankees by a run at 4 - 3. Miraculously, Millar works a walk on 5 pitches and trots slowly to first base. Emerging from the Red Sox dugout is little used reserve outfielder, Dave Roberts, to pinch run for Millar. As he takes his lead off first base, Mariano Rivera makes a snap throw to first base to keep him close, then another, then a third throw. It's obvious to all that Roberts' is the main concern for every player in a Yankee uniform. As Rivera comes to a set and delivers the pitch to home plate, Roberts makes a mad dash for 2nd base, and history is unknowingly made.

Remember that quote from before? In the time it took to read it, Dave Roberts seized his opportunity and captured his moment. 3.8 seconds to change the course of baseball history as we know it. 3.8 seconds to erase 86 years of futility and alter the lives of two entire fan bases. The Yankees - Red Sox rivalry truly started the day Babe Ruth was sold to New York and it ended on the field in those 3.8 seconds.

That's the moment it all changed, where the Red Sox took the momentum and stepped on the throttle towards history. You know how the story ends; the Red Sox tied the game 2 pitches later, went on to win in extra innings and rode the wave of momentum for 7 more consecutive wins to demolish the Yankees and St. Louis Cardinals en route to the most historic comeback in sports history and their first world championship in 86 years.

The rivalry hasn't been the same since that fateful night. It's as if we've stepped into another dimension, where everything has turned upside down. The Red Sox are now the greatest franchise in sports, having won 2 world championships in five seasons and the Yankees have taken on the role of the perennial loser.

People say that the Yankees - Red Sox rivalry is the greatest in all of sports. What they fail to realize is that the rivalry on the field no longer exists with the same brooding hatred that can be found in the stands. The rivalry on the field hasn't exuded the same level of animosity since that night in 2004. And I don't mean because the Red Sox ended the Curse of the Bambino and won the World Series, but because that's the last time there was even the slightest inkling of dislike between the two franchises. What happened to the old days of Yankees outfielder Jake Powell and Red Sox manager Joe Cronin fighting beneath the stands during a game (May 30, 1938)? Or the days of Jimmy Piersall and Billy Martin squaring off in the tunnel before a game (May 24, 1952)? That's what is currently missing in the rivalry.

There's far too much camaraderie between the players. Whether it's the stories of Derek Jeter and Dustin Pedroia becoming acquaintances during the World Baseball Classic, or the friendship fellow Dominican's Robinson Cano and David Ortiz share, the days of the rivalry being intense are a far distant memory. To be perfectly honest, the last time this rivalry had any meat on its bones was in Game 3 of the 2003 ALCS, when Pedro Martinez hit Karim Garcia in the back, prompting both benches to empty, and then later on culminated with Yankees coach Don Zimmer being tossed like a lawn dart by Pedro.

Realize with every continued stroke of the keyboard my blood boils with anger. I am NOT a Red Sox fan. I hate the Red Sox with every fiber of my being. My loyalties lie with my New York Yankees. I will not knowingly befriend a Red Sox fan and I certainly will never date a fan of Boston. They don't like me and I hate them. It's how I was raised; it's how I will raise my children. They are the enemy. I know that's how they were raised to feel about us and that's perfectly fine in my eyes. It's the way the rivalry used to be and it's the way it will continue to be from every fans perspective. But, that is where the Yankees - Red Sox rivalry ends. Now it only exists flowing in the blood of the fans.

Can the rivalry on the field be reinvigorated with the passion and disdain that each fan feels for their opposition? Only time will tell, but, it's at least a comforting thought deep in the heart of this Yankee fan to know that it only takes 3.8 seconds to change the course of history. Here's hoping the Yankees get their one shot or one opportunity to seize everything they ever wanted in one moment. And here's hoping they capture it and don't let it slip.