Red Sox win the World Series and the ride to Boston

After Koji Uehara tossed the final pitch of Game 6, my roommate and I erupted in jubilation and sent Drift running for cover. Anyway, I called out of work and hopped a train to Boston on Friday. The Amtrak ride along the Northeast Corridor and Connecticut shoreline is always scenic. But today the ride was especially gorgeous. The New England countryside was ablaze with color as the trees were preparing for winter and the clouds had a delightful painted sky appearance. But by the time I reached Providence, it was obvious Boston was north of the color line. The trees past this point had already shed their pretty orange and yellow leaves. It was just as well as the sun had set before my train reached Massachusetts anyway. -_-

Why this year is different

Jaded sports fans in other cities may be wondering what the big deal is. The Sox now have three championships in the last ten years. From all four sports, Boston has a total of eight titles since 2002. That’s more than any other US city during that time span. So what is the big deal with this one? Several things. One, the Red Sox finished 2012 last place in their division. While their blockbuster off-season trades were expected to be fruitful, nobody expected this result so soon. Two, the last two Red Sox World Series titles were clinched on the road. This is the first World Series to be won at Fenway Park since 1918. And three, the region was reeling after the Boston Marathon bombing back on April 15. Ironically, that attack took place just over a mile away down Boylston Street. When all is said and done, baseball is just a game and it can never undo the horror of that day. But it still gave people something good to look forward to and to rally around at a time when they truly needed it. Even though I am a self-professed Bostonphile, seeing one of their teams win another championship would ordinarily not be that special to me. But this year, we are all Bostonians.

The Parade

Saturday morning, I left my motel in Braintree and took the Red Line to downtown Boston . The turnout for the parade was expected to be huge and people were advised to take mass transit. Thus we took on many more passengers than normal for a Saturday. After a quick transfer to the Orange Line at Downtown Crossing, I reached Back Bay which was steps away from my desired vantage point from the parade in front of Prudential Center. While there was certainly a crowd, the sidewalks are wide enough at this point that moving around was still a breeze. First the police escort arrived, followed by several Boston Duck boats carrying players, their families, front office staffers, and other VIPs. All the players were well cheered but the loudest pop was saved for Series MVP David Ortiz. I was also glad to see former Phillies’ hero Shane Victorino get a very warm reception from his new fans in Beantown.

What is a Boston Duck boat? Check this out: http://www.bostonducktours.com/Default.aspx

After the entire procession had passed, I thought to myself, what did I want to do next? Why not watch the parade again? With the Orange Line, it’s very easy to do. All I did was ride it several stops to State and from there it was a short walk to City Hall. A few minutes later, I got to watch the entire parade a second time. Besides the parade itself, I was treated to a humorous spectacle. Even though the media informed fans that alcohol wouldn’t be permitted along the parade route, many young fans brought cases of beer with them anyway. And each one of them met the same ignominious fate: Boston Police officers ordered them to open each and every can and pour the beer down a storm drain. The scent of Coors Light wafted in the air. Such a shame to see all those suds wasted. Oh well, you chose to ignore the warnings.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lpyUdS4iDlY

This video was shot from my vantage point in front of City Hall. In fact, I think I was watching the person who recorded this!

Love is in the air

You thought the forum had a love bug infestation recently? That was nothing compared to what I saw in Boston while I was there. So many couples holding hands, cuddling, and kissing. Either there's something in the water or maybe they're just extra lovey dovey because of the occasion. I bet a lot of marriage proposals were made at the conclusion of the World Series.

Why I love Boston

It's simple. In short, Boston has all of the things that people love about Philly but not quite as much of the bad stuff. There's less poverty, less unemployment, and fewer unproductive citizens. Make no mistake. Hardship can be found here, but it's not as much of a defining feature here as it is in Philly and most other US cities.