Be careful comparing the Boston Red Sox to New York. Boston is the 25th largest city in America and half of the MLB are bigger cities but smaller markets. It's called heart. It's called tradition. Heck, the Mets have a comparable payroll, too.

First, let me answer Kevin...Yeah, "This year it matters". The winning league gets home field advantage. Look at all the evenly matched World Series that went seven and the team with 4 home games won. Like in 1991 when the Twins beat the Braves, arguably because of the home field advantage (and the roof runs).
Second, it is a good opportunity to see new stars. Example: I found Rios' performance last night during the Derby to be an interesting introduction to his talent. Third, the players are relaxed and having fun.

Kevin, I am glad you finally came clean and admitted you were a Chokees fan. Forget about injuries. With Damon, Abreu, Cabrera, Cano and Matsui all batting under .275, with a hobbled, aging pitching staff and a team record under .500 the Yankees can start planning their offseason family vacations (except for ARod). The Yankees are, as Jim Leyland would say "A lot of good players but not a good team."

All Star game tonight, showcasing an astonishing 6 Red Sox players.

Are you saying that Boston does NOT have the 2nd largest payroll? I'm almost certain they do.

Here's the URL I was looking at.

http://asp.usatoday.com/sports/baseball/salaries/totalpayroll.aspx?year=2007

FYI, I've been to Boston, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.