Money players: the free-spending Yankees and Red Sox are back in the ALCS; New York boasts Alex Rodriguez, but Boston might have the better team.(Division Series)

Alex Rodriguez got a taste of the rivalry hours before he stepped into Fenway Park for his first Yankees-Red Sox game. As he tells the story, A-Rod was lunching at a downtown Boston restaurant when a fellow walked by, recognized the Yankees' new third baseman and promptly welcomed him to town with a middle-finger salute.

Given this was before a regular-season series in April, A-Rod should consider a two-word dining tip for his return to Boston this weekend: room service. It's going to be crazy out there.

The intensity of American sport's greatest rivalry never has been greater than it is right now. What began as an offseason game of "We can spend more ...