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Behind enemy lines

A quick glance at what the New York papers are writing about this weekend's Red Sox-Yankees clash.

Daily News

-- Sam Borden (It's time to Sox it to 'em) writes that it had to end like this.

"It doesn't get any better than this," Alex Rodriguez said. "It's is the best time in my life and the most fun time in my baseball career. I don't remember a race like this."

"This isn't football," Jason Giambi said. "It's not like a 'We hate you and want to run over your face' sort of thing. We feel like we've been playing playoff games for the past few weeks anyway and now this is the next series."

-- Roger Rubin (Mr. Big gets it done yet again) pays tribute to David Ortiz, the Red Sox MVP, and includes quotes from a few players who lament letting the Yankees back in the race.

-- Former Boston Herald scribe Lisa Olsen (This is where Bombers have to be) looks at how the Yankees are getting excited about the showdown series in Boston. Both the newcomers and the veterans are getting into it.

-- Kerry Burke (Ahh, keep yah 'toilet paper') ran around Kenmore Square yesterday trying to give away Yankee caps. Whatever.

-- Bill Madden (Stanton back in Boston) says acquiring Mike Stanton shows "how desperate the Red Sox are for middle-relief help."

-- Darren Everson (Boston woes lean to the left) says the key to beating the Sox is the lefty-lefty matchup. Baseball Prospectus' Will Carroll, whose computer simulator projected the Yankees to win the division, liked Randy Johnson to win when it looked like he'd be facing Curt Schilling earlier this week. "Not only is he a lefty, not only is he a Red Sox killer, but when it comes down to it, has there ever been a point when you've wanted Schilling over Johnson?"

Newsday

-- The paper has an analysis of the showdown this weekend and key impact players (Showdown at Fenway).

-- Bob Herzog (Race prompts memories of '49) looks back at the last time the Yankees and Red Sox met in a season-ending series this big.

-- Shaun Powell (Perfect finish to endless rivalry) looks at how Alex Rodriguez can erase the lasting image of his playoff slap on Bronson Arroyo with a big series this weekend. A-Rod commented on MVP challenger David Ortiz: "He's been phenomenal," Rodriguez said. "Nice hitting. Been doing it all year."

-- Ken Davidoff (Ortiz or A-Rod? Can't decide yet) talks about, you guessed it, the undecided race for AL MVP. He'll know better on Monday.

-- Jim Baumbach (Yankees notebook) says Randy Johnson could pitch an inning out of the bullpen tonight, and has another story (Rivera ready to rumble) indicating that Mariano Rivera could pitch every night at Fenway. "Put it in the books," was Rivera's answer to pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre's question, "Ready to pitch four days in a row?"

New York Post

-- Michael Morrissey (Wells: I'm done if BoSox repeat) had a story in Thursday's Post, which quotes David Wells as saying he'll retire if the Sox win another championship this year. "It means I can retire and go home," Wells said. "If we win... that would be a storybook ending right there. Give that money they owe me next year, give it to a young guy. There's a couple of guys here pretty deserving. That would be a great finish."

-- George King (Yankees head to Boston in lead) says the Sox and Yankees don't have to watch the scoreboard any longer, they can just look at each other. He also says the Yankees were also interested in getting Mike Stanton back (Stanton: Yanks were interested).

-- Joel Sherman (No party hats yet) remembers the greatest collapse in sports history when the Yankees were feeling a little too good about themselves last October.

-- Mike Vaccaro (Weekend 'is going to be fun') looks at how the Yankees didn't look ahead to this weekend's series and kept focused in Baltimore.

-- Kevin Kernan (Feels like last year) was in the Sox clubhouse last night and gets a few quotes on the showdown, including some Curt Schilling accolades tossed the Yankees' way: "Shawn's pitched phenomenal, Aaron's pitched unbelievable," Schilling said of Shawn Chacon and Aaron Small. "Mo deserves every bit of Cy Young accolades as anybody else in this league this year, if not MVP. Derek's been Derek and Alex has had a year for the ages again."

-- Steve Serby (Livin' in the blast) talks to Bucky Bleepin' Dent about the 30th anniversary of his pop up over the Wall. Dent will be in New Hampshire playing golf this weekend "That's Red Sox Country, so I'm gonna go up there and badger 'em," Dent said yesterday from Boynton Beach, Fla.

New York Times

-- Tyler Kepner (Yankees Pack Their First-Place Power for Boston) has quotes from Jason Giambi, who has nice things to say about the Red Sox and Yankees GM Brian Cashman: "We're just hungry. We're playing like a team fighting for our lives, and we are."

-- Jack Curry (Red Sox Sign Ex-Yanks Pitcher Stanton as Relief for the Short Haul) looks at the tale of two lefties, Mike Stanton, and Alan Embree. "I would love to prove that they made a mistake," Embree said yesterday in Baltimore. "I have no hard feelings over it; it's nothing against the players. I just want to prove that management made a bad decision. Curry also covers the MVP race (M.V.P. Race Is the Subplot for Yankees and Red Sox) and has a previous quote from Alex Rodriguez on something he wants more than the MVP, "Let him have it," Rodriguez said. "I already have one of those. I want what he has."