There are millions of words that can be used to describe the intense emotions rolled into a classic rivalry. Yet there’s just one word, with only three letters, that stamps certain athletic battles as those rare confrontations that can withstand the test of time and grow even more legendary with each passing generation. And. It’s that simple. Whenever you cannot name one participant without the reflexive action of adding that “and” for the second one, you know you have something truly special. Yankees and Red Sox. Celtics and Lakers.
