Can You Believe It?

Yes, yes. I know there is an election going on. I know that the War Corporatists are trying to get Bush reëlected, and, well, tomorrow I’m going up to Milwaukee to do what I can to stop them. Still, this is about the remaining elation over the Red Sox—yes, I still feel like it’s my birthday, and, yes, I’m not interested in doing anything but downloading Red Sox wallpapers. Or, more correctly, I’m not interested (today) in doing anything but making a Red Sox World Series Champions mix. Still, I went to the parade, and, below, are my impressions, as well as the tracklist for the Champions mix, tentatively titled, “Can You Believe It?”

Waking up at 4:30am on Saturday morning was surprisingly not difficult, considering how totally amped I was about going to Boston. I made it to O’Hare in decent time, and the plane was completely packed full—of Red Sox fans. Every row had someone in Sox regalia. Every carryon I saw had a Sox cap attached to it. The pilot might as well have just started blasting “Dirty Water” over the PA. I don’t think I’ve had that much fun on a flight (mind you, I fell asleep as soon as we were in the air) since the getting-cut-off-three-times-in-the-flight fiasco on QANTAS in 2000.

Everything was falling right—the blue line was extended to Bowdoin, which was right on the parade route. I called up Aidas and Aidas, who were at a friend’s apartment literally 20 yards from Cambridge Street just as the Duckboats were to go into the water. I went straight there and watched the start of the parade on the TV. The rain was soft and friendly, and it probably kept a lot of the weaker fans (like my brothers?) at home, which meant it was easier to get access to the parade.

Finally, we saw on the television that the Ducks were making the turn onto Cambridge to descend Beacon Hill. We ran outside and saw that the crowds had thickened (oh, we had time for a booze run, too!). No problem—a breach broke open in the barriers and we were able to spill right onto the street. The cops certainly didn’t seem to mind one bit—we weren’t rowdy, we weren’t disorderly. It was just, well, awesome.

I’ve never felt less special to be a Sox fan than on Saturday morning. Yet it’s also never felt more special to me. That’s kind of cool, I think. Sort of a reverse of the isolating loneliness of the Gesellschaft society—you’re nameless, but blissful. Good times.

The parade itself was a blur—it was great to see Luis Tiant, I cheered very hard for my fav. players, and Johnny Damon had I think most of the women won over—he was acknowledging the crowd from the front of the boat. However, two girls did run up to Gabe Kapler and have him sign their cap. I found this appropriate.

The Ducks rolled by, and then we all started marching down Cambridge St. and over Storrow Drive to see the parade a second time, this time from the Charles. Longfellow Bridge seemed completely packed from our vantage point, and it was good that we broke toward the Hatch Shell.

Still, we had plenty of time for a second booze run and pee break before the Duckboats swam by. The second time was just as good—and somehow my voice returned long enough to shout at Ellis Burks until he acknowledged me. Apparently yelling at Theo to “take it off!” didn’t go over as well, but it seems like there’s a market for Theo clothing (maybe even unmentionables). I’m just sayin’.

What to do upon return? Pretty much nothing, except to look at the photos.

Anyway, here’s the Red Sox mix tracklist:

1. Frank Sinatra, “New York, New York”
2. Franz Ferdinand, “Jacqueline”
3. The Standells, “Dirty Water”
4. Boston, “Don’t Look Back”
5. John Fogerty, “Centerfield”
6. Bonnie Tyler, “Total Eclipse of the Heart”
7. Neil Diamond, “Sweet Caroline”
8. Johnny Cash, “You’ll Never Walk Alone”
9. Earth Opera, “The Red Sox Are Winning”
10. Modern Lovers, “New England”
11. Pixies, “U-Mass”
12. Mighty Mighty Bosstones, “They Came to Boston”
13. Dropkick Murphys, “Tessie”
14. Boston, “Foreplay > Longtime”
15. Journey, “Don’t Stop Believin�”
16. Bruce Springsteen, “Dirty Water” (Live)