All the Yankee-Red Sox intermingling traces back to this guy. (Getty Images)

As our Danny Knobler has already explored, the Yankees and Red Sox have done quite a bit of haphazard "talent sharing" since the Red Sox's curse-strangling 2004 season. Of course, Yanks-Sox mixed loyalties predate any of that and famously trace back to Babe Ruth, who, to hear superstitious New England Calvinists tell it, started all of this in the first place, quite possibly with malice aforethought.

So on the occasion of Kevin Youkilis' coming to terms with his erstwhile sworn enemies and with a nod toward the incest of the post-2004 era, here's a look at the 10 top talents to wear both the Red Sox whites and the Yankees pinstripes.

Criteria? Each player must have spent at least one season with the Yankees and Red Sox, and his Yankees and Red Sox careers taken together must amount to a plurality of his time in the majors. Or, in David Wells' case, I included him because executive privilege allows me to do as I wish.

To the non-slideshow rankings!

10. Sparky Lyle: Red Sox, 1967-71; Yankees, 1972-80

True fact: Lyle liked to drop his pants and grippers -- Jim Palmer-endorsed Jockeys, perhaps -- and sit on birthday cakes. Also true fact: Lyle, just before opening day 1972, was traded from Boston to the Yankees in exchange for Danny Cater and a player to be named. The Red Sox have been swindled many times by the Yanks over the years, and this time was no exception. Lyle, as a Yankee, would save 141 games and win the AL Cy Young in 1977. How different was the role of the relief ace back then? On May 17 of that season, Lyle earned a win over the A's ... by working 6 2/3 innings out of the bullpen. 

The secret to Lyle's success? Well, let the man himself tell you ...

Sure, if we're talking about raw value, then I should've included Herb Pennock instead of Lyle. But pardon me all over the place for wanting to talk about nude ass vs. baked goods and relay the competitive merits of wholesome, nutritious tobacco.

9. David Wells: Yankees, 1997-98, 2002-03; Red Sox, 2005-06

So, courtesy of Baseball Almanac, here's David Wells' rather substantial transactions ledger ...

Given all that, it's not surprising that the nomadic Mr. Wells would find himself under the employ of the Red Sox and Yankees at various points. And so he was. Wells won a World Series and tossed a perfect game on the Yanks' watch, so his Bronx tenure stands as the more memorable.

8. Carl Mays: Red Sox, 1915-19; Yankees, 1919-23

Mays would probably be in the Hall of Fame if not for, a, the fact that he killed Ray Chapman with a pitch and, b, the demonstrable notion that he was a huge jackass in all other regards. According to the great chronicler of our game, F.C. Lane, Mays "aroused more ill will, more positive resentment than any other ballplayer on record." So, as I said, huge jackass. The Red Sox traded Mays after he went AWOL because he was miffed about a lack of run support. Carl Mays: very good pitcher, rarely invited to parties.

7. Luis Tiant: Red Sox, 1971-78; Yankees, 1979-80

That freaking wine-bottle-opener of a windup!

Across 19 seasons, Tiant crafted a near-Hall-of-Fame career, and the best of those seasons were in Boston: 122 wins and a 3.36 ERA as a Sock. Tiant became a free agent following the 1978 season. The Red Sox offered him a one-year deal, while the Yankees offered him a two-year pact plus a 10-year scouting contract to begin upon retirement. Tiant, you may have already surmised, became a Yankee.

6. Elston Howard: Yankees, 1955-67; Red Sox, 1967-68

Howard is perhaps best known for breaking, all too belatedly, the Yankee color line in 1955, but he was a great ballplayer even beyond the scope of his cultural importance. A nine-time All-Star and the 1963 AL MVP, Howard was a core member of four Yankees championship teams. He was traded down the stretch in 1967 to the Red Sox, who would go on to win the pennant. While Howard, 38 years of age by then, didn't hit for Boston, he contributed in other, quieter ways. ""He was like a pitching coach to Lonborg, Gary Bell, Gary Waslewski, Lee Stange, guys like that," Red Sox teammate Reggie Smith said. "No doubt Elston helped us win it. We were a young team. Our average age was 26. We needed someone like Ellie to show the way. He brought the Yankees aura of winning to the Red Sox."

5. Waite Hoyt: Red Sox, 1919-20; Yankees, 1921-30

Of Hoyt's 237 career wins, 157 came in Yankees pinstripes. Just 10 came in Red Sox ... invisible pinstripes. Oh, and those 10 wins for the Bostons came before Hoyt turned 21, at which age he was traded to ... the Yankees. And just when Hoyt's career ground to a halt, the Red Sox were so accommodating as to trade the Yankees ...

4. Red Ruffing: Red Sox, 1924-30; Yankees, 1930-46

Whilst (take note of the era in question, which justifies use of high-minded diction) in Boston, Ruffing cobbled together a 39-96 record (including 47 losses in two seasons) and an ERA of 4.61. So it's easy to see why the Red Sox were willing to part with him for nothing more than a reserve outfielder and some redeemable U.S. currency. In New York, manager Bob Shawkey rebuilt Ruffing's delivery, and the results followed: 231 wins and a 3.47 ERA as a Yankee. The Hall of Fame came calling in 1967.

3.Wade Boggs: Red Sox, 1982-92; Yankees, 1993-97

The Hall-of-Fame third baseman batted a crackin'-good .338/.428/.462 as a Sock, but it was with the Yankees that Boggs claimed his long-sought World Series ring. His best days on the field were in Boston, but his best days on horseback with a cop were in the Bronx.

2. Roger Clemens: Red Sox, 1984-96; Yankees, 1999-2003, 2007

While in Boston, Clemens won 192 games and a trio of Cy Youngs. But then GM Dan Duquette allowed him to walk in the belief that Clemens' best days were over. The Rocket proceeded to win four more Cy Youngs, one of those in Yankees pinstripes. In condemnation of Roger's Yankees days, though, there's this bit of misfortune ...


Roger Clemens is Now a Yankee!

1. Babe Ruth: Red Sox, 1914-19; Yankees, 1920-34

Perhaps you've heard tell of this one? On Dec. 26, 1919, Red Sox owner Harry Frazee pawned off Ruth on the Yankees in exchange for $100,000 in cash payments and a $300,000 loan. Contrary to what's widely believed, no, Frazee didn't sell off Ruth in order to finance one of his Broadway plays. The deal did, of course, alter greatly the course of baseball history. It was the biggest trade/swap of resources in baseball history ... UNTIL THE ROYALS PARTED WITH WIL MYERS.

Notable omissions, in no particular order: Rickey Henderson (just 72 games as a Red Sock, otherwise you'd better believe Rickey would be on here), Herb Pennock, David Cone, Jack Quinn, Frank Tanana, Jose Canseco, Wally Schang, Johnny Damon, Bob Watson, Derek Lowe, Don Baylor, Jackie Jensen, Sad Sam Jones, Tom Gordon, Bartolo Colon, Mike Stanley, Mike Lowell, Jeff Reardon, Mike Torrez, Deacon McGuire, Wes Ferrell, Lefty O'Doul, Lee Smith, Bobo Newsom, Jack Chesbro (Hall-of-Famer, but only one game as a Boston), Tony Clark

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