Tonight’s episode of Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel on HBO (10:00pm ET) will feature the following segment involving the Red Sox:
*The Other Side of a Rivalry. The rivalry of the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox is perhaps the bitterest in all of sports, but in a moment of tragedy they banded together like true comrades for someone in need. Last summer, Bridget Johnson, 11-year-old daughter of Red Sox first base coach Ron Johnson, was riding her horse, Rhonda, when they were struck by a car. The young girl’s left leg was severed and her horse had to be put down. The Red Sox immediately chipped in to help with the family’s mounting bills, and Ron Johnson’s longtime friend, Yankees hitting coach Kevin Long, led a charge inside the New York clubhouse by rallying players to raise money for Bridget’s care as well. In this REAL SPORTS/Sports Illustrated collaboration, correspondent Frank Deford learns more about the heart-wrenching event that changed the rivalry, if just for a moment, and Bridget’s inspiring recovery.
Boston Sports Media Watch 
Sometimes tragedy transends life as we know it. For a moment or two, the real life situations that occur in everyday life to everyday people and even members of professional sports teams make their professional activities seem trivial. It is certainly nice to know that the members of these two teams put the rivalry aside, stepped up and performed admirably. Good job.
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