Blood Feud: The Red Sox, the Yankees and the Struggle of Good Vs. Evil

There are people, although I can't imagine why, that would claim that this book is one sided. These are probably people who simply don't realize that damnyankee is one word. They probably don't even realize that this is a battle between the forces of good and the dark side of the force. They might, just might, you understand, even be people who say that this is only a game. I'm told that there are even people who said that who became President was more important, but I clearly don't belie that this is true, there just couldn't be such people. Well, that's the tone of the book. If you're a Yankee fan (I guess there are still a few out there), you can expect to get your bowels in an uproar by reading this book. If you're a Red Sox fan, well, the book is only simple Gospel fact, with a bit of humor thrown in.

Whether you are a Red Sox fan or not (and why not?) this book is fun, ingenious and lots of information for baseball diehards. Bill Nowlin and Jim Prime obviously enjoyed putting this book together and it shows with lots of humor and poking fun throughout. I loved the quotes at the beginning of each chapter..they just made me giggle!! Good work! Thanks for sheer pleasure and delight!!

There seem to be a million new books on the Red Sox this year. It's probably more like 25. Most are self-congratulatory books that just celebrate the win, and maybe try to cash in on it. I see four or five that focus on the Red Sox/Yankees rivalry. This is one of the best. It seems to do two things at the same time. One, it digs a little deeper than most of the other books, going way back in history and not just the last few years. Two, it's a lot of fun! The authors take it seriously but also have a lot of fun. There are also a lot of interesting features, like ones that look at the trades between the teams and ones that present the stats of players who were both Red Sox and Yankees. Another good book about this rivalry, though it just features on the last two years, is called A TALE OF TWO CITIES. But BLOOD FEUD is my favorite because it packs in so much information and has a lot of fun doing it.

Perhaps the most succinct review of "Blood Feud" could be done with a short question and a shorter answer: "Will Yankee fans enjoy this book?" -- Not so Much! Make no mistake, and as the authors readily concede, this is not an impartial history of the rivalry between the Yankees and the Red Sox. There are many biblical references scattered throughout this tome and there is no doubt that the Sox live in the authors' heaven and that the Yankees deserve their own special place somewhere warmer. In some senses this is two books in one. On the one hand, this book is a history of sport's greatest rivalry from the teams' first meetings back in the 1900's through the end of the triumphant 2004 Sox season. The book recaps some of the famous contests between the rivals as well as some of the on-field brawls. Histories are provided of Fenway Park and Yankee stadium and details are tracked of the many players, pitchers and managers that have been employed by both teams. There is background provided on the Curse of the Bambino and how seriously this was taken in some quarters or how readily dismissed in others. There is also an interesting discussion of the respective territories of the two rival teams and a mapping of Red Sox nation. In one instance there is a tale of brother versus brother in team affections. This first book within this book will appeal to the student of the game and will likely be of some interest even to Yankee supporters that can no longer dismiss the World Champion Sox as they might once have done. But the second book here was even more compelling to this reviewer. It is a dramatic recap of the most amazing comeback in baseball history and the story is well told. The author's cleverly split the 2004 ALCS into two pieces - starting with the Yankee's unassailable 3-0 lead that ended with a 19-8 defeat of Red Sox. The authors then leave their target Sox fans hanging on this precipice for several chapters before finishing the series out with the Sox assailing the unassailable and taking four historic games in a row including two of the most tense, on-the-brink, extra-inning games any fan should ever have to sit through. This book salutes the heroism of Schilling, Wakefield and Ortiz and is a great read. The book opens with humourous anecdotes from Bill Lee and ends with a very poignant and classy afterword by Johnny Pesky. Kudos to Nowlin and Prime - they have teamed up for yet another great treat for their fellow Boston fans.

...I'm not going to use the word "spineless," but I will say that other recent Sox/Yankees rivalry books have been a bit dainty in the way they have tried to paint an unbiansed picture of this hostile conflict. No one I've ever met has said "I have no opinion on this matter." BLOOD FEUD may be the first genuine, passionate portrayal of this legendary rivalry, because it is so pro-Red Sox. The fact that the Red Sox are the greater club is purely coincidental -- what makes this a fun read is that it's not lifeless, the authors are enjoying themselves, and the facts are well in order. I laughed, I cried, and pumped my fist with pride. If you don't like this book, then I'm sorry, that means the terrorists have already won. Or the Yankees have. Both are pretty scary.