[Chiwas]

Let's talk about mistmaches

By Jeff Merron
Page 2
ESPN

Pedro said it all. Considering teams (or individuals) that have almost equal resources, the Red Sox-Yankees rivalry is about as lopsided as it gets. Especially come playoff time. So, here we go: the top list of "I own my rival!"

10. Bjorn Borg owned Jimmy Connors
Oh yeah, Connors beat Borg three out of four times at the U.S. Open. But at Wiimbledon, it was 4-0 Borg. Overall, in ITF events, Borg was 13-4 vs. Connors.

9. Duke owns UNC (basketball)
Over the very long haul, the Tar Heels have dominated their nearby rivals. But Duke has won 11 of the last 12 meetings and has a three-game winning streak over North Carolina. And the Blue Devils have been the better team each of the past five seasons.

8. The Packers own the Bears
Since the start of 1994 season: Green Bay, 18 wins. Chicago, 3 wins. 'Nuff said.

7. Sugar Ray Robinson owned Jake La Motta
These two fought six times. La Motta lost to Robinson in 1942. He won their second fight in 1943 on points, and deserves credit for being the first boxer to beat Robinson. But it was one and out. Three weeks after his only victory over Sugar Ray, La Motta lost to his rival. Nine years after they first fought as pros, Robinson decked La Motta in Chicago on Valentine's Day, 1951, winning by KO in the 13th round. A fitting finish.

6. Bill Russell owned Wilt Chamberlain
Wilt had bragging rights in just about every offensive category. No matter. Here's the stat that counts the most. Russell: 11 championships. Chamberlain: 2 championships (one after Russell retired).

5. Nebraska owns Colorado (football)
Woe to Colorado coach Bill McCartney, who made the odd decision to create a rivalry with Nebraska in 1982, making sure that the yearly matchup with the Cornhuskers busted out in bright red on his team's schedule. Since then, Nebraska is 16-4-1 over Colorado. Overall, Nebraska leads the series 43-16-2.

4. UConn owns Tennessee (women's basketball)
UConn has a huge advantage when matching up against the second greatest team in women's college basketball history. The Huskies have won the last six matchups, and all four of their national championship title games against the Lady Vols.

3. The Lakers own the Kings
The Lakers have had a slight regular-season edge, winning 9 and losing 7 since the start of the 2000 season. In 2000, Shaq, Kobe & Co. dispatched the Kings in the first round of the playoffs, 3-2. In 2001, it was an L.A. sweep in the conference semis. In 2002, 4-3 in the conference finals. Lips flapped on both sides, hitting a high (low?) point when Shaq said, after the '03 playoff win, "I'm not worried about the Sacramento Queens. Write it down. Take a picture. They've got a lot of talkers. You always talk the talk, but can you walk the walk? They had us right where they wanted us. But in Game 7, Doug [Christie] couldn't hit any shots, Chris [Webber] didn't want to shoot, Vlade [Divac] fouled out on purpose, Scot Pollard can't play anyway."

2. The Yankees own the entire American League
Lest Red Sox fans think they're alone, they should consider the other 14 non-New York teams in the junior circuit, who've only managed to find their way into the Fall Classic twice over the past nine years. We could go back back back back back, but you know the story.

1. The Yankees own the Red Sox (duh)
Doesn't require much explanation, does it? We could go into the entire history since 1918, but let's just look at the past decade: the Yankees have made the playoffs 10 times, or twice as often as the Red Sox. The Yankees have won the AL East seven times; the Red Sox have come in second seven times. And, of course, in the three LCS matchups, the Yankees have won the first three. Almost.