For Sherlock Holmes, it was Professor James Moriarty.
For the Hatfields, it was the McCoys.
For Inigo Montoya, it was the Six-fingered Man
For Superman, it was kryptonite.
For Batman, it was the Joker
For the New York Yankees, it was and forever will be the Boston Red Sox.
History and literature are full of examples of epic rivals facing off.
Usually the best of these rivalries occur when both parties are equally matched and either one could secure victory on any given day.
Photo R. Anderson
For the past three years another rivalry has been quietly building between the Texas Rangers and the Tampa Bay Rays.
For those who question the Rangers and Rays as rivals consider this, the path to the postseason for each team for three of the past four seasons has come down to a battle between them.
In 2010 the Rays faced the Rangers in the American League Division Series and lost two games to three.
In 2011 the Rays once again found themselves facing the Rangers in the Division Series and this time only managed a single victory in the series.
Although the Rays were defeated by the Rangers in two consecutive years they can take some solace in the fact that the Rangers went onto the World Series both years. After all, somehow losing to the eventual pennant winner provides some small comfort.
Both teams were shut out of the postseason in 2012 which brings us to this season. Currently the Rays and the Rangers are battling each other for the top seed in the wildcard race.
After splitting a four game series in Tropicana Field this week the Rays and the Rangers remain tied for the top Wild Card spot.
It is highly probable that the Rays and Rangers will meet in the winner takes all Wild Card game this year marking the third time in four years that the road to the World Series runs through them.
So while the Rangers and Rays have not been rivals for as long as some of the historic rivalries in sports, it should certainly not be discounted in terms of intensity.
And while one could argue that the Rangers
