By: Jon Chattman, Allie Tarantino, Rich Tarantino
Publisher: Triumph Books
Publication Date: February 2012
ISBN: 978-1600786792
Reviewed by: Ellen Feld
Review Date: April 24, 2012

If you’re a true Red Sox fan, then you know, at least deep down in your gut, why you love the Red Sox and hate the Yankees. And part of what binds Sox fans together is this love/hate relationship that we all share. Now there’s a fun new book that puts our thoughts – and facts – about our ongoing Red Sox/Yankees rivalry all in one place.

I Love the Red Sox/I Hate the Yankees is a flip book, with the Red Sox section leading off (the Yankees cover gets the bar code). Of course, you’ll want to read about the Red Sox first so it makes perfect sense to have the Sox on the FRONT cover. There are four chapters in the Red Sox portion: Red Sox Moments We Love; We Love Red Sox Players and Legends; We Love Red Sox Nation and Red Sox Games We Love. The titles speak for themselves and while the true die-hard Sox fan may know most of what is presented (but you only qualify for this status if you know the history behind the song Tessie), this book is written in such a fun, honest, and easy-going way that time will pass quickly as you read. For example, when talking about the disastrous 1965 and 1966 seasons, the authors write, “...fans treated Fenway like a Taco Bell bathroom; staying away to avoid another stinker.” (pg. 10) There are nice bios of many of our favorite players, overviews of some great games, and testimonials from fans about how the team/game has affected their lives. There is also, of course, a look into why “we” love the Sox so much and why we hate the Yankees. Dating back to that first game played at Fenway against the New York Highlanders (later the Yankees), the authors look at the various reasons this great rivalry has existed and continues to play out.

Admittedly, reading the flip side of this book is not nearly as much fun for the Sox fan. While “No Yankees were harmed during the making of this book…” (pg. v), the authors certainly got some pleasure showing the darker side of the Bronx Bombers. However, as it must to be fair, the book does also show many of the highlights of the Yankees team - of course some of these are not pleasant memories for Sox Nation. The chapters mirror those in the Red Sox section; Yankees Moments We Hate, etc., although they’re not quite as flattering. “While news spread that A-Rod and Jeter were no longer in a bro-mantic relationship… after denying use of performance-enhancing drugs, A-Rod – or as the Fenway faithful dubbed him, A-Roid…” (pgs. 42-43) While the book tells of devoted Sox fans, who are with their club through the ups and downs of baseball, it shows in vivid detail why Yankees fans’ pride is so obnoxious. Yup, we know that and it sure is nice to see it in print!

Quill says: Wicked funny, wicked silly, wicked true - the perfect book for Sox Nation. However, Yankees fans should probably skip this one!