Meet the club that Ruth built

Boston Area New York Yankee Fan Meetup founder Nikki Fein (far left) and organizer Philip Brown (second from left) with fellow New York partisans.

It wasn't always so difficult for Philip Brown to wear his Yankees cap around town.

A childhood in West Hartford, Conn. - with a Red Sox-loving mother and a Yankee-loyal father who "just got his hat on me first" - left Brown unprepared for moving to Boston and the harassment from Sox fans personally offended by his wearing the cap in bars. Or in stores. Or on the street.

To give the Philip Browns of Boston the privilege of donning the blue-and-white caps or, if they're feeling truly bold, cheering a Johnny Damon homer in public, local Yankee fans now can turn for camaraderie - and safety - to a club that gathers at sports bars around town.

It also helps founder Nikki Fein get out of the house.

"I just got sick of watching games by myself,' said Fein, a 35-year-old New Jersey native who started the group through the social networking site Meetup.com.

Their alliance is especially important at times like next weekend, when the Red Sox visit the Bronx and Boston fans become particularly unsympathetic toward anyone rooting for the team in pinstripes.

"The Yankees are my one and only," said Laura Levis, a 26-year-old New York City native who ventured north to attend Emerson College. "But it's a hard decision whether to wear a hat, if you're not looking for a fight."

Now in its second season and 100-plus members strong, the Boston-Area New York Yankee Fan Meetup functions as part social hour, part support group.

Most of the members are New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut transplants, and everyone, it seems, has a horror story.

"When I was walking at night in my Yankees jersey, a fireman offered to escort me home" a few years ago, said group member Lindsay Robinson. "He was worried about my security."

The heckling and narrowly averted brawls that seem ubiquitous in members' experiences may have bred what they admit is a mild case of shared paranoia.

They're convinced that one among their ranks had his tires slashed, though they can't remember who, and Brown, who has taken over as organizer, was jokingly hesitant to reveal their favorite spots.

"I don't want to tell people where we meet up," he teased. "The last thing we need is a flash mob of Red Sox fans."

He did disclose, however, (hostile Sox fans stop here!) that they frequent Champions near Copley Place and pubs by the TD Banknorth Garden that are "small enough to take over," and strategically venture to Fenway taverns when the Sox aren't playing.

Even arriving in numbers doesn't guarantee a friendly reception. At a recent gathering in the North End, the bartender rolled his eyes at being asked to switch the television to the Yankees-Twins game and refused to turn on the sound.

"At least here I don't have to pretend to be a Sox fan," said Jennifer Morzano, 32, who recently moved from New Jersey. "I would go out with friends and no one would high-five me when the Yankees were doing well. Now I have someone to celebrate with."

During the Yankees-Twins game, the group hooted shamelessly when A-Rod hit one over the fence in the first inning, but didn't have much to cheer about for the rest of the game, which ended in a Yankee loss.

Overall, it has been a tough year for the Yankees. Even with a seven-game winning streak this month, the team is in the middle of the pack in the American League East, looking up at the Red Sox.

"This is their decade," Morzano acknowledges about the Sox. "The '90s was ours."

The recent success of the Red Sox may have even softened some hearts. Levis said she has found a diehard, but "very caring," Sox fan to date. She even persuaded him to include Yankees on his fantasy team.

The détente does have some conditions, however. "There is still a limited clap period after the Yankees score before you get yelled at," Robinson said, "but I'd rather be in a city that has that much passion toward baseball than one that doesn’t care at all." Plus, taking the heat is a matter of pride.

"Have you ever tried walking down the street here in a Yankees hat? I wouldn’t suggest it unless you mean it," said Mike Plum, 30, a native of upstate New York. "Yeah, I'm asking for it."