If you’ve been to Fenway Park during 2013 you’ve probably noticed there’s a new rivalry brewing. It’s certainly not going to threaten the perennial age-old rivalry between the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees, but it’s significant never the less – and may eventually benefit Red Sox fans.
Sox fans always know when the Bronx Bombers are in town: Fans in gray and blue emblazoned with their team’s logo proudly filtering their way through the home crowd; the more fanatic among them exuding an air of bravado seasoned with a bit of arrogance bordering on overbearing. Despite being outnumbered 10-to-1 they’ll remind you their team’s the best in baseball, some using a brace of statistics, others using an ever-louder voice sprinkled with ever-increasing epithets, culminating in the fact that 27 (or is it 28?) championship rings provides irrefutable proof.
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Fenway’s latest rivalry isn’t between two teams, but rather between two baseball magazines loudly offered outside the Park: Boston Baseball, created by Mike Rutstein in 1990, and the Yawkee Way Report, created by Sly Egidio in 2013. |  |
Sly actually got his start working as a magazine vendor for Boston Baseball, and a photo of him selling magazines on Yawkey Way even graces the cover of Mike Rutstein’s book “Outside Pitch“, where Mike recounts his struggles with the Red Sox organization to publish and sell his own in-depth Red Sox magazine. Now, with Sly going up against his ex-boss it appears history is repeating itself.
Unfortunately, the April 2013 Premier Issue of the Yawkey Way Report was being sold with all the swagger and confidence of a 1950′s Yankees fan while playing like the 1989 Yankees team. The magazine’s layout desperately needs tightening: Wider margins with consistent font type, size, and spacing on all pages, narrowing pages which are obviously “stretched out” (by about 37%, see below), and adding padding between some page elements might reduce the total number of pages, but those remaining would look more professional. Grammatical errors, such as “Myself [sic, should be "I"] and many former employees who I worked with over the years decided…” suggest the need for a proofreader. Print quality could be improved, as evidenced by white spots on the centerfold (once again, see below). All of these shortcomings are easily remedied – my example took about 15 minutes to create, and I’m not a layout artist – so I’m sure these “growing pains” will disappear as the season progresses.
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| Before: It’s stretched to fit the page…and, what’s with that ad? | After: Easier to read…and, still room for another ad! | “Spot” the problem with this magazine page. |
| (Click any image to enlarge) | ||
Layout aside, and most importantly, the content of the Yawkey Way Report is very thin – 3/4 of one page devoted to Red Sox farm system news, versus 10 pages in Boston Baseball – and the content it does have lacks depth. For content alone Boston Baseball is worth every penny of your hard-earned money and more: It covers everything “Red Sox”, from what the owners might be thinking right down to the newest rookie in the Gulf Coast League, and has in-depth articles on Red Sox players, history, upcoming opponents, and collectibles, and Rico Petrocelli’s insightful commentary which are sure to inform and entertain Sox fans of any level.
I’m hoping that with more writers, more sales, and more issues the Yawkey Way Report – Boston Baseball’s “student” – will improve and grow to eventually challenge it’s mentor. Signs of a challenge are already apparent: Finally faced with competition outside of Fenway Park (and, their impending 25th Anniversary), Boston Baseball has lowered their prices, while the Yawkey Way Report has upped the ante by handing out an official souvenier free with any purchase.
When the Yawkey Way Report magazine can compete on content we’ll all be winners.
Bottom line? Here’s my recommendations for fans wanting a Red Sox magazine:
- Boston Baseball: For dedicated Red Sox fans or those wanting to learn everything about the current state of the Red Sox (with a touch of history, collectibles, and editorial comment thrown in), this magazine is an absolute must. Worth every penny and more, it should be the official Red Sox program.
- The Official Red Sox Program: Only available inside the park, it’s the most expensive and has the least amount of Red Sox information. Great for casual Red Sox fans, those with a general interest in MLB baseball, or anyone wanting to add a genuine program to their genuine ticket.
- The Yawkey Way Report: Their magazine is a far distant third compared to the other two. If you’re a souvenier collector, or have a young fan who might enjoy a small memento, then buy one to save money on an official Red Sox souvenier (or possibly two) and get a mediocre magazine for free.
Note that this is not a review of the websites of either Boston Baseball or the Yawkey Way Report – so, if you have some comments about either one please feel free to let me know 
Full Disclosure Statement: If I purchased a copy of Boston Baseball from Sly Egidio and talked to him while buying it I don’t recall it. Otherwise, other than being a paying consumer of their magazines I am not knowingly connected with either magazine’s owners, employees, content providers, or printers.
Thanks for reading!
