WHAT TO WATCH
Collision course
What: In an age when one good game suddenly qualifies as a rivalry, the Red Sox and Yankees are baseball’s bench mark. These teams genuinely don’t like each other and square off in a three-game series Friday that marks the unofficial start of the postseason.
When: How about 1949? According to Boston writers, that’s the last time there has been a final weekend series this important between the clubs. Back then, the stars were Joe DiMaggio and Ted Williams. This time the marquee will include Alex Rodriguez and David Ortiz. The winner of the series may determine whether A-Rod or Ortiz claims AL MVP honors.
Why: The defending champion Red Sox have lost their swagger, talking like a team that has run out of gas – and run into the trainer’s room. Closer Keith Foulke’s lost season is over because of a balky knee. Curt Schilling remains inconsistent. And the bullpen remains flammable, with Mike Timlin the lone trusted extinguisher. Only once have the Yankees held a division lead this late in the season and lost it. In the blue corner, history. In the red corner, Fenway.
