As the Red Sox and Yankees face off in yet another American League Championship Series this week, the tensions between their rival fan bases have only intensified, and so has the fuzzy line that divides Connecticut into rival nations.
What boundary distinguishes a genuine Yankees fan from a shallow bandwagoner? Similarly, where does a Red Sox fan turn from hometown loyalist to an underdog sympathizer?
At Dartmouth, where Connecticut natives abound, students hailing from just a town apart often have divergent hopes for this season's outcome.
A lot of it, fans say, deals with geography. The western part of the state, dominated by New York suburbs, tends toward the Yankees, while the east puts its faith in the Sox.
Fairfield County native Dan August '07, a Yankees fan, said the majority of his town roots for the Yankees.
"A lot has to do with the proximity to New York City," August said. "They grew up going to Yankees games, and most kids' parents work in the city."
According to August, those rare Red Sox fans in Fairfield County have a variety of justifications for their allegiances, such as having a parent dedicated to the Sox or an inclination to favor the perennial runner-up.
Will Bashelor '07, a Dartmouth baseball player, lives in Norwich, Conn., on the eastern side of the state.
"I would say Norwich is definitely split," Bashelor said. "Eastern Connecticut is real intense about the Sox versus Yankees rivalry."
The controversy apparently manifests itself at a very young age. At the Norwich Little League clinics where Bashelor worked last the summer, players fight over which team should be the Sox and which the Yankees when they scrimmage.
"The little kids get real excited if their team is represented by their favorite side and extremely disappointed if they have to take the name of their rivals," Bashelor said.
Asking these same questions, the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute polled baseball fans across Connecticut this past summer. Forty-three percent of baseball fans statewide said they rooted for the Yankees, while only 33 percent supported the Sox. Those figures, of course, differ county-by-county.
"Tensions are high everywhere," August said.
The only question left to answer is which half of the state will have bragging rights for the next 12 months.
