Monday, October 29, 2007

Dancing Papelbon to headline Sox victory parade

BOSTON -- Jonathan Papelbon will take his wacky Irish jig on the road Tuesday when the Boston Red Sox hold their World Series victory parade.

The "rolling rally" on World War II-era amphibious duck boats will take the same route as the 2004 championship parade, except they won't go into the Charles River, Mayor Thomas Menino said Monday. It will begin at noon at Lansdowne Street, circle Fenway Park, take Boylston Street to Boston Common and end near City Hall.

Menino said Papelbon would celebrate with his now-infamous dancing, and the Dropkick Murphys also will play along the parade route.

"He has to do a dance," Menino said. "He promised the people he would do a dance."

Menino acknowledged having the celebration on a weekday would inconvenience some businesses and keep school children away, but said players were eager to get home to their families and begin their vacation.

The Red Sox swept the Colorado Rockies Sunday night with a 4-3 win in Denver. The team was expected to arrive back in Boston about 3:30 p.m. Monday and head over to Fenway Park.

Menino also said a "rolling rally" was easier for city officials to manage, because it spread out the crowds. He estimated security would cost $500,000.

Fans began celebrating immediately after the Red Sox won their second World Series title in four years.

Police spokeswoman Elaine Driscoll said 37 arrests were made early Monday in the city, mostly for disorderly conduct. No serious injuries were reported.

Thirteen people were arrested after they refused to leave the Kenmore Square area near Fenway Park, police said. After police told a large crowd of people to disperse, several officers were struck by rocks and bottles. Sixteen cars parked along Newbury Street were vandalized, with broken side view mirrors and windows, or damaged windshield wipers.

The police department had announced it would have more than 50 cameras trained on the city to record any vandalism. Boston authorities cracked down on rowdy sports celebrations after an Emerson College student was struck and killed when police fired a pepper pellet into an unruly crowd celebrating the Red Sox's 2004 victory over the New York Yankees in the American League Championship Series.

Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press


Source: ESPN.com

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