BoSox to get rings against Yankees

[Jimcs50]

Insulting?
Has that ring to it

Sox set ceremony for Yankee game

BY ANTHONY McCARRON
DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER


First baseman Kevin Millar has measurement taken for ring that Red Sox find getting in presence of Yanks is only fitting.

FORT MYERS - After suffering what might be the worst choke in sports history last October, the Yankees have one more indignity to face before the healing can truly begin - being at Fenway while the Red Sox get their World Series rings April 11.
The Red Sox announced yesterday that their players and uniform personnel will get their rings in a pregame ceremony that will also include the raising of the championship banner when the Yanks meet the Sox in Boston's home opener.

Team officials and players also said the timing had nothing to do with spite or to throw more tinder on an already-blazing rivalry. But one team bigwig, Larry Lucchino, who is responsible for the "Evil Empire" crack a few years ago, did allow that it was perhaps fitting for the Yankees to be on the schedule for the event.

"I suppose you could make that argument," he said. "They are our most intense rival, so Opening Day has a certain special relish as a result of that. But I think a Red Sox-Yankee game is special anytime and doesn't necessarily need the hype.

"But you could argue that there is something appropriate about it happening vis-a-vis the Yankees."

The Yankees aren't insulted, according to Joe Torre, several players and Howard Rubenstein, George Steinbrenner's personal PR rep. Rubenstein released a statement from The Boss yesterday, saying of the rings, "The Red Sox won them, they earned them and they have the right to pick the game and date to present them and it's not a personal affront to our players or to me."

Said Derek Jeter: "They won, what can I say? They deserve to be champions. They beat us four straight, they beat St.Louis four straight, so they deserve the right to go ahead and celebrate."

"It doesn't bother me," added Torre. "I didn't care for the fact that they went to play the World Series, but I had to deal with that, too."

They probably won't have to deal with the ceremony, at least in person. It sounded like players were more likely to stay inside the visiting clubhouse watching DVDs than watch. "I'm sure I'm not going to help hand them out," Jeter said.

"We're not going to rearrange our routine to either be there or not be there," added Torre.

There has been much ado as to when the Red Sox would get their jewelry, but Lucchino and fellow owners John Henry and Tom Werner finally settled on the home opener, which was the choice of most players, too. Henry suggested an alternative - the day before the season was slated to start - to keep the day from being a thumb in the Yankees' still-fresh wounds.

"It's definitely not rubbing it in their face," said Sox outfielder Johnny Damon. "We won the World Series. We have to get it some time. It'd be different if guys got it, put it on and waved it. We're not like that."

But the Sox received "hundreds of calls" from fans who wanted the ceremony during the home opener, said Sox spokesman Charles Steinberg.

A week ago, Henry said: "I personally don't think it's necessary to hand out the rings on Opening Day. I think it's more an issue of when are the rings going to be ready."

Yesterday, Steinberg said: "It's a tradition to hand out the rings on Opening Day."

Lucchino said he could see how some Sox fans would want to add to the Yankees' embarrassment. But, he said, "this should be more about a celebration of our accomplishment and less about an in-your-face demonstration to somebody else.

"The schedule makers are really the people responsible for this event occurring in this manner. If they had scheduled us to open up against another American League East team, I doubt we'd have had the same level of controversy about this thing."

Damon was reminded that the Sox nearly had to face the same ignominy - had the Yankees closed them out and won the World Series, the Yanks may have gotten their rings while the Sox were at the Stadium.

"The thing is," Damon said, "we don't have to worry about it."


With Sam Borden and wire reports

[Duff McCartney]

I'm sure one ring really compares to the 26 the Yankees have..and Jeter has what 4 times as many rings as the current Red Sox lineup.

[Jimcs50]

I'm sure one ring really compares to the 26 the Yankees have..and Jeter has what 4 times as many rings as the current Red Sox lineup.

The last one is the one that matters.

[N.Y. Johnny]

I was hearing they were having 2nd thoughts about doing it vs the Yanks..why in the would they think twice? you know damn well the NY Yankees would rub the Red Sox noses in during a game vs them if they had won those rings.
I hope it lights a fire under the Yankees asses or else they're looking at 2006 with the Red Sox doing the same thing again.

[Jimcs50]

It is their home opener, it makes perfect sense to get the rings then.

[atlfan25]

They would be dumb not to give it out on opening day just cuz they don't want to hurt the yankees feelings. I am glad they decided to do it in the opener. They would be pussies otherwise.