It’s too bad Aaron Boone will never get to walk the Freedom Trail or rest in the grass of the Boston Common.

After last year’s home run to eliminate the Red Sox from the World Series rush, the infamous former Yankee wouldn’t last 10 minutes in the city of Boston. Why? Blame the greatest rivalry in all of sports.

Harvey Frommer, a native New Yorker and now oral history professor at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire, spoke on Sept. 21 at the Old State House about the decades of baseball rivalry between the Red Sox and Yankees.

Co-author of “Red Sox vs. Yankees: The Great Rivalry,” Frommer used a combination of stories and excerpts from his book to showcase the high level of emotion involved in each on-field battle between the two teams.

“Seeing all the tortured souls here and not really having been plugged into the rivalry when I was in New York … that was the hook [for me],” Frommer said.

His presentation included accounts from both the famous and the not so well known. Personal tales ranged from that of former New York Gov. Mario Cuomo to life long New Englanders who considered the Red Sox, as “addictive as opium every spring.”

Although only about 20 people attended the lecture, the fervor many individuals at the event had for their respective teams encompassed the passion Frommer described.

Jon Kent, a Northeastern sophomore from Vermont,said he feels a lot of people are Yankee haters before they are Red Sox fans.

“I tried to be a Sox fan first and hate whoever’s in first place,” Kent said.

Although situated in the heart of Red Sox nation, the room was far from void of those loyal to the navy pinstripes.

Jim English, a bearded middle-aged man, stood up and read a poem to the crowd detailing his Yankee upbringing.

“I’ve been a Yankee fan since 1956. It was passed down by my great-grandfather and is in my genes,” English said.

Kari Rongo, a sophomore at Boston University, heralds from New York. She said Red Sox fans are too quick to “blame it on the curse,” and are seen by New Yorkers as “sore losers.”

She feels a good number of Yankee fans reside in the city because, “a lot of New Yorkers come to school in Boston.”

The first in the Lowell Lecture series, the “Great Rivalry” program is one of five at the venue celebrating the history of Boston.

“History is broader than people think it is,” said Sue Goganian, site director of the Old State House. “It’s more than just the American Revolution.”

The society tries to have a sports history lecture each year, she said, as athletics play an important role in the history of the city. The timing of this event was meant to coincide with the playoff race and last weekend’s three-game series the Red Sox won.

But Frommer said he feels this rivalry transcends the game of baseball.

“There is definitely a second city mentality existing for Boston and Red Sox fans,” he said.

Although the Red Sox could never face-off against the Yankees in the World Series, talk of the championship drought surfaced during the program.

At the thought of Boston bringing home a series title, Frommer said, “It would be a shocker … [Red Sox fans] would not have anything to moan, cry and [whine] about.”