"Red Sox fans are know to be among the most rabid and violent of any baseball fan. Anyone who has ever attended a game at Fenway will confirm that."
He went on to explain that it was dangerous for Yankee fans, especially young children to go outside wearing Yankees apparel.
"Suppose you have a ten year old son or daughter. Would you feel safe letting them outside to play, wearing a DEREK JETER jersey, if you knew that right next door lived a family of Red Sox fans, especially if they had just recently emigrated to NYC from Boston?"
He went on to add that baby boomers who still wear their old and tattered BUCKY DENT jerseys were especially vulnerable and at risk.
He said that the idea for the article began last year, when it was reported that A Rod's Mercedes was keyed while parked outside a Boston Market restaurant on the upper west side of Manhattan..
Sulzberger added that he had spoken at length with NYC Mayor Mike Bloomberg before deciding to publish the names. "The Mayor was very supportive of our efforts to protect the citizens of this great city. He encouraged us to go ahead with this project."
Sulzberger was asked how the paper managed to obtain the information. "It's all in the public record. Good reporting enabled us to compile the data."
Anonymous sources have suggested that the Times might have violated several privacy statues in the process. One pointed out that the Times just recently sold its interest in NESN, the New England Sports Network, which covers the Red Sox 24/7. The Times still owns the Boston Globe, which has extensive Red Sox coverage. Both interact with fans, readers, and viewers across multiple media platforms, so it would be easy to someone with contacts and access to surreptitiously obtain the information.
Sulzberger was asked if the recent public outcry over a local NY paper's decision to publish a list of registered gun owners in three counties in any way impacted his decision to move forward with this project.
"Definitely not," Sulzberger defiantly stated. "Look, guns are really dangerous. We all know that, and we have to do something, anything to get them off the streets. But gun violence, as horrendous as it is, pales in comparison to the violence that Red Sox fans are capable of."
What really surprised those working on the story was the large number of Red Sox fans actually living and working in NYC. "Initially, we thought it might be a small number, maybe a few hundred max, but our reporting leads us to believe they may well number several hundred thousand. We were shocked at this number, and at the risk they posed to the law-abiding Yankees fans in this great city. They had to be protected at all costs."
When asked if there were any reports of Red Sox fans killing Yankee fans, Sulzberger replied, "not that we know of at this time."
Thank God I’m a Cub fan!!! Wait,.....what am I saying??????????????????????
As a former Boston area resident I’m relieved to know Red Sox fans are registered.
I approve more thorough background checks for them and increased mental health monitoring. Penalties should be increased for supporting the Red Sox and more money should be taxed or borrowed to enforce their regulation.
For the children, of course.
So it's the Yankees versus everyone else again because of no MLB salary cap—caps that have made the other pro leagues not only more competitive but separated the skilled and competent organizations from the maladroit management bumblers who just bribe their way out of the consequences of their incompetence.
There are Red Sox fans everywhere (I am one) simply because the Yankees hate them the most and we hate the Yankees the most.