Question For Red Sox Fans

I was actually thinking about this the other day, shortly after the Twins took a 1-0 lead in their series with the Yankees. Dan Wetzel, writing in Yahoo sports:

Would finally winning the World Series somehow be lessened if Boston never directly vanquished its chief nemesis and archrival? Are Red Sox fans actually rooting for the Yankees?

My gut instinct would be no, in that a World Series win is a World Series win and nothing will be able to change that as the chants of "19-18!" vanish into the ballpark wind. In addition, I really have trouble seeing Red Sox fans rooting for the Yankees in any context at all (even though some did after 9/11).

However, I could easily see how Yankee fans could dismiss the accomplishment, saying that the only way the Red Sox could finally win a World Series was by sidestepping the Yankees, a statement that would certainly grate on Sox fans. However, not being a full-fledged Sox fan myself (even though I would love to see them win this year), I really have no say on the matter.

So what say you? Do the Sox have to go through the Yankees to legitimatize a World Series win or do the Yankees not matter at all?