On October 27, 2004 the Boston Red Sox won the World Series and the next day they announced plans for a parade through the city to take place on Saturday October 30th.

It was a no-brainer, I was on a plane from Tampa Florida and I, along with my daughter Beth, were among the 3,000,000 people to take to the streets of Boston to say thank you!

We gathered outside of Fenway Park at 4:00 AM and shared a day of joy, the likes of which the city of Boston had never known!

The chilling drizzle that fell throughout the day “would not, “could not” dampen the spirit of elation that permeated the city, indeed all of New England.

I never in my life saw more smiles,

 none bigger than this mans.

And the most impressive part of it all is that along the parade route there were a total of three, count em, three arrests!

That afternoon, I made a visit to see mom and dad.

It was when I arrived there that the magnitude of what the Red Sox had done came home to me.

For in one little corner of one cemetery in Weymouth Massachusetts, I found what this meant to millions and millions of people, fans who loved the Red Sox!

Everywhere I turned I found expressions of the depth of the joy!

Balloons…..

Messages, newspapers….

Tee shirts…..

Pennants proclaiming the words so many longed to hear, but never did.

This was one small corner, in one cemetery, in one New England town and I wondered how many times and in how many places was this scene repeated?

There were many impressive moments played out that fall by Manny, Pedro, Lowe, Damon, Schilling, Foulke, Papi, Tek et al. Moments played out at Fenway Park, Yankee Stadium and in St. Louis where it all culminated. However, the want, the desire, in fact the need for Red Sox fans to reach out, to reach back to share this glorious moment brought a century of Red Sox fans together and it is that tie which binds and will always bind the Royal Rooters to the Fenway Faithful to Red Sox Nation! Nothing that took place on the diamond is more impressive than that simple fact.

For it is more true now than it has ever been, for so many can say,

And so it is on this day in Red Sox history, March 2, 2012.