The New York-Boston rivalry isn't just at the ballpark.(Bank of New York Company Inc., State Street Corp.)(Brief Article)

The Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees, perhaps baseball's most intense rivalry, doesn't resume until after Labor Day If you can't wait until then and need your fix of hostilities between the Hub and Gotham, perhaps the struggle between Bank of New York Co. and State Street Corp. will hold you over.

Late last month, the two financial services giants tangled when Bank of New York announced it would become the administrator for John Hancock Funds' $26 billion in assets.

Bank of New York officials pitched the story to this reporter as the institution's assault on State Street, which is the leading custodian of U.S. mutual fund assets.

Over at its …