I'm not one to comment on my own work, but, I think this particular piece, as a whole, will summon obvious questions from people who cared enough to read any particular part.... So here:

1.    Why write about this series?

I felt the Series basically exemplified the meaning of sports in general: talented individuals, forming a team, testing each other. It gets intense, obviously. It was never supposed to be about the rivalry, or the media and fan hype accompanying it. Obviously, those sick and tired of Yankee-Red Sox coverage probably avoided this. But for me, it was all about the people behind the logos, their journey as professionals.

2.    OK, Yankee fan d-bag, why write about this series instead of 2004, when your team CHOKED?

Simple. While working on this, as a WRITER instead of a fan, I loved the fact that the Yankees lost to the Marlins in the World Series. I was drawn to the idea that these two teams, neither champions, truly succeeding in defining each other. The 2004 Red Sox are a completely different story, as are the '04 Yankees. I find, even today, nobody remembers the '03 Yankees as LOSERS, even though they were upset big time by the Marlins, same thing with the '03 Red Sox. Yet, without each other, they would be forgotten. That's also why I focused a great deal on the A's: what if Jermaine Dye, a notorious low-ball hitter, gets a chance to hit, wrecks a Derek Lowe sinker, and Oakland wins? Everything would have been different, and it was SO CLOSE. That's baseball, basically. Everything is so totally dependent on chance, which is why the sport is far more mythological than any other contemporary. People never want to believe things can be that random, so we talk about fate and yes, legends.