Sox talk

Two excellent Red Sox pieces today.

The must-read is by Globe columnist Bob Ryan, on the 39th anniversary of the day that the late Tony Conigliaro got beaned. Ryan:

But Aug. 18 is always a somber date for me, and, I’m sure, for many others. Tony C is the greatest of all “What-Ifs?” in Boston sports history. When he stepped into the box in that fateful fourth inning, he was 22 years old. He was the Golden Boy, en route to the Golden Career. Who among us wouldn’t have traded places with Tony C?

The should-read is a feature in today’s New York Times in which John Branch attempts to determine the exact border separating Red Sox fans from Yankees fans. He focuses on Connecticut, but eventually makes his way to Vermont and upstate New York.

There are a lot of unfortunate references to “Red Sox Nation,” but that phrase, like the loathsome “blogosphere,” appears to be beyond stamping out at this late date. Otherwise, first-rate.