Nothing ever will compare to the 2004 Boston Red Sox championship parade. The event 86 years in the making finally gave a beleaguered fan base an opportunity to celebrate as one.
That said, the 2007 parade was no slouch.
Fresh off their four-game World Series sweep of the Colorado Rockies, the Red Sox boarded duckboats and took to the streets of Boston for the second “Rolling Rally” in four years. Benefitting from an uptick in production value and a certain rambunctious closer, the 2007 rally was perhaps the most purely entertaining of all of Boston’s championship parades.
Red Sox fans can relive that unforgettable day Sunday at 2 p.m. ET on NESN. Here are some of the things you might have forgotten about the championship parade ahead of NESN’s broadcast:
1. A Dropkick Murphys concert broke out
The unofficial band of the Red Sox put on a show for the (probably million or so) fans who took the day off to attend the parade. Playing fan-favorites like “Shipping up to Boston” and “Tessie,” the Dropkick Murphys made sure the “Rolling Rally” doubled as a rolling party.
Speaking of…
2. So did a one-man dance party
Have a day, Jonathan Papelbon.
Days after striking out Rockies outfielder Seth Smith to clinch the World Series, the Red Sox closer was the life the party, and then some. Between using a broom as an air guitar, busting out the Riverdance and regularly interacting with fans, Papelbon brought the best version of himself on what was an absolutely beautiful Fall day in Boston.
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3. No Charles River
Unlike 2004, the Red Sox did not ride the duckboats into the Charles River. Instead, they stuck to a 3-mile parade route that otherwise mirrored the trail blazed in 2004 by the “idiots.” The Red Sox returned to the Charles in 2013, but stayed on land for the parade in 2018. If patterns mean anything, the next World Series parade will see the local baseball team once again take a cruise on Boston’s iconic river.
4. Mayor Menino injured his leg
Thomas M. Menino’s day got off to a rough start.
The late Boston mayor hoisted the World Series trophy while standing on a stage at Fenway Park roughly an hour before the start of the parade. While walking off the stage, Menino tripped and suffered a hyperextended knee. The trophy was not damaged, but Menino was forced to watch the parade from his office in City Hall.
