Over the weekend I was flipping channels and came across ESPN Sunday Night Baseball. Of course the featured game of the night was the New York Yankees hosting the Boston Red Sox.

As I watched, I noticed there was a distinct change from the Yanks-Sox games I remember watching a few years back.

There was no tension. The crowd was just watching and not participating. The players looked uninterested in what was going on.

I know June baseball isn’t the tensest time of the year, but c’mon, you are playing your biggest rival. You can at least act like you give a dang.

A thought popped in my head as the innings clicked by…If the Yanks and Sox isn’t the biggest rivalry in the game, then what is?

Before I dive head first in to this, I want to say that I fully plan on watching if New York and Boston meet in the postseason.

But as of right now, I think there is one Major League rivalry that is heads and shoulders about the rest of the pack.

The Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants are the cream of the crop in the National League West, and are vocal about not liking one another.

The Giants have ruled the roost for some time out on the west coast, but a rejuvenated Dodgers team, led by pitcher Clayton Kershaw, outfielder Yasiel Puig and manager Don Mattingly have reignited the rivalry that can be traced all the way back to New York and the early days of the modern era of the MLB.

Just think about the possibilities of a NLCS out west with a Kershaw-Tim Lincecum pitching match up or Buster Posey and Adrian Gonzalez launching balls deep in to McCovey Cove.

The fan bases are that nice to one another, but respect the teams on the field of play. The teams love their fans and are quick to praise them for their dedication.

Professional sports lack oodles of rivalries, and we folks from the great state of Alabama laugh when they discuss the topic, but the Dodgers and Giants are the epitome of a professional sports rivalry.

But the next time you are flipping channels and see the Dodgers and Giants are playing. Stop and watch. You will like what you see. I guarantee it.

Ryan McCollough is a sports writer for The Messenger. He covers recreation, high school and Troy University athletics and is a member of the Football Writers Association of America and the Alabama Sports Writers Association.