 10/28/2004 4:20 PM ET
'Rolling Rally' to be held Saturday
Celebration begins at 10 a.m. ET at Fenway Park
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| Red Sox fans celebrate in the street near Fenway Park after Boston's World Series triumph. (Michael Dwyer/AP)
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BOSTON -- The Red Sox's World Series championship will be formally celebrated Saturday morning
along a parade route through the streets of Boston.
Plans were announced Thursday afternoon for the highly anticipated event at which the champs will be
saluted by Red Sox Nation -- and literally millions of its visiting expatriates.
Parade details were unveiled in a joint media conference by Boston Mayor Thomas Menino and Larry
Lucchino, club president of the Red Sox, who both expressed hopes for a joyous and peaceful celebration
of the team's first title in 86 years.
The parade can be seen live on MLB.com and redsox.com beginning at 10 a.m. ET.
Menino reiterated estimates that between 3 1/2 and 5 million people will be drawn to this city of 600,000 to
share in the historic occasion.
Because of the size of the expected crowd and security concerns, the parade has been dubbed a "Rolling
Rally." There will be no stops along the route and no formal rally at the end of it, such as the one in
February at City Hall at the culmination of the Patriots' Super Bowl parade, which turned violent.
The Patriots' parade drew 1.2 million people.
"This will be a world-class rolling rally," Menino said, "a great opportunity for families to come out and
celebrate the Red Sox's historic win."
The parade will begin on Boylston Street by Fenway Park and proceed down Cambridge
Avenue past City Hall.
"It will give fans an opportunity to salute the players, and the players and the Red Sox organization a
chance to salute the fans," Lucchino said. "It's a two-way street, and we intend to say a loud and passionate
'Thanks' to our fans."
The parade has two themes. One, "Worth The Wait," of course alludes to the generations that have passed
since the Red Sox's last World Series title in 1918. The other, "We kept the faith, now let's keep the peace,"
stresses hopes for a calm day of festivities.
About a half-dozen Red Sox players have already taped public service announcements that focused on the
safety theme and went into immediate rotation on Boston TV and radio stations.
"Public safety is our No. 1 priority," Menino said. "The Red Sox have shown us what they're made of. Now
let's show the team what the fans are made of.
"This historic occasion lets everyone know what it means to be a Bostonian. For people of Boston, rooting
for the Red Sox is in our blood. After 86 long and depressing years, we can finally say those words: The
world champion Boston Red Sox. Now, it's time to rejoice and celebrate."
"We ended that ridiculous drought. You won't have to wait another 86 years before having another parade,"
promised Lucchino.
Lucchino also used the occasion to announce another upcoming "parade" that will delight fans in the far-
flung outposts of Red Sox Nation: A Trophy Tour, in which the newly-won World Series trophy will be
showcased throughout New England.
"In the next few weeks, we will take the trophy into every state in New England," Lucchino said. "We will
have rallies, trophy presentations and celebrations to recognize their contributions to Red Sox Nation." Tom Singer is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
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