Red Sox fans divided over rooting for N.Y.

The emotional fallout from the attacks on New York City has taken many forms, but none quite so curious as how the tragedy has touched sports fans around the country.

As the World Series opens today between the New York Yankees and the Arizona Diamondbacks, a transformation seems to be taking place in the minds of baseball lovers everywhere. If you’re a sports junkie, you’re probably already aware of the phenomenon. If you’re not a fan, you might have at least considered the possibility that something like this could happen. And apparently, it has: Many baseball fans have decided to stop hating the Yankees for the moment and to cheer them on to another championship.

If you’re not a baseball fan, you might not be able to fully appreciate this strange turn of events. So here’s a brief explanation. The Yankees may well be the most hated team in baseball. While some teams may be disliked, the Yankees are capable of filling the hearts of opposing fans with a loathing passed through generations. They have won 26 championships in their vaunted history, including four of the last five. They are too rich, too famous, too cocky and too damned good. They come from the loudest and brashest city in America, and their owner is elitist and overbearing, all of which does nothing to endear them to anyone outside their passionate, celebrity-studded legions. But the tragedy that struck New York has changed the sentiments of many who can no longer separate the insufferable team from the suffering city. So now, instead of despising the Yankees, many sympathetic fans are hoping the team will win another championship and lift the city’s spirits.

Could this change of heart also be true of diehard Red Sox fans, the most zealous of Yankee haters? Is it possible that they might put aside their loathing for pinstripes and actually root for their perennial oppressors?

“Nah!” said Joe Capponi of Bangor, who is a devout Red Sox fan. “How can I root for those guys when they’ve got all those championship rings? Enough’s enough already. Don’t get me wrong. I know the people of New York are hurting, and they’ve got my sympathy. But I’d never go so far as to root for the Yankees. No way. That’s just too much to ask of a Red Sox fan.”

Chris Spellman said he also considers himself a proud member of the Red Sox faithful. As such, he has endured disappointment all his life, and is prepared to suffer with his Red Sox until he dies. Yet, as an all-American fan, he admits that the events of Sept. 11 have been working on his emotions in mysterious ways.

“In my subconscious mind, I’m thinking I’d like to see the Yankees win it,” Spellman said. “It’s strange, I know. If you’re a Red Sox fan you have to hate the Yankees. But I’m setting aside the rivalry and thinking more of the national tragedy. Yeah, I’ll root for the Yankees, but just this once. I think it would be good for the city.”

Jeff Ward feels the same. Although he’s been a loyal Red Sox fan since 1966, he’s not able to hate this latest crop of talented Yankees. Which is why he’ll be rooting for them to go all the way.

“The way I see it, whatever can pick up the spirits of New Yorkers a bit is good,” Ward said. “Besides, I’d rather the Red Sox had a shot at beating the defending champion Yankees next season. That would be satisfying.”

Chris Geaghan, owner of the Whig & Courier restaurant in Bangor, said he has no trouble separating his compassion for the people of New York and his revulsion for the team that represents them.

“No, I definitely will not be rooting for the Yankees,” he said. “I’m a Red Sox fan. I hate the Yankees. I don’t want to see them win. But if a championship can help lift morale, OK, then the people in New York can watch videotaped highlights of past World Series games. That should give them plenty to feel good about.”