October 1,
2007 ...
No game scheduled ...
Red Sox Nation, its citizens clad in team jerseys and caps, business
suits and ties, descended on City Hall Plaza yesterday, to celebrate
winning the division crown and continuing the yarn that is the
storied rivalry with the Yankees. Moments into the pep rally and
party, pockets of fans broke into anti-Yankee chants, making it clear
that watching the Sox hold off a late-season surge by their American
League East arch-rival had sweetened the team's first division title
in 12 years.
Boston was
one of eight cities across the country yesterday hosting Major League
Baseball-sponsored rallies of their teams' playoff-earning seasons, but don't
tell that to Mayor Thomas M. Menino. Thousands attended the celebration, but
officials did not release a crowd estimate.
Among the
team representatives who spoke to the crowd, manager Terry Francona and rookie
pitcher Clay Buchholz, who pitched a no-hitter in his second major-league start
on Sept. 1 and won't be on the mound for the playoffs, garnered the loudest
ovations. Players Javier Lopez, Kyle Snyder, Mike Timlin, Jonathan Papelbon, and
Jacoby Ellsbury also addressed the crowd, thanking them for their rabid support.
Francona
highlighted the hundreds of fans who hung around Fenway Park for hours following
the Red Sox victory, to wait out the Yankees' 10-inning defeat in Baltimore. The
loss clinched Boston's division title, and the fans joined in the players'
celebration.
Papelbon's
extended celebratory jig, projected onto the plaza's huge television screen
yesterday, was a source of delight for the assembled faithful. He promised more
of the same. Yesterday's rally included music by bands that have become part of
the Red Sox soundtrack. The Dropkick Murphys played songs from their new album,
"The Meanest of Times," and the Standells sang "Dirty Water," which is played
after every Red Sox victory at Fenway Park.
The rally
also included a tribute to the 1967 Red Sox on the 40th anniversary of their win
over Minnesota to capture the American League pennant.
