Boston Salutes The Red Sox

As confetti rained down and the Hallelujah Chorus blared, the World Series champion Boston Red Sox were embraced by grateful fans Saturday, hailed as heroes, saviors, future husbands, and beloved idiots during an amphibious victory parade 86 years in the making.

On a raw autumn day with spitting rain, an estimated 3.2 million people packed the 7-mile parade route, hanging from windows, standing on rooftops, and holding aloft signs bearing words of thanks, marriage proposals, and expressions of wonder at what the team had — finally — accomplished.

"All is Forgiven," read one banner. "Now we just have to wait for the other six signs of the Apocalypse," said another. And dozens said simply "Thank You."

"It started raining and it was cold and the people didn't even care," pitcher Derek Lowe said. "They've waited a long time. You'll never see a parade like that with so many people, no matter what sport or what city."

The ritzy stores along the route rose to the occasion, with one wedding boutique putting a bright red "B" on each of the dresses in its display window. The Loew's Theatres at the Boston Common used huge letters to change its name to Lowe's, in honor of the pitcher who won the clinching game in each of the team's three postseason series.

The players, who rode in groups of three or four in World War II-era amphibious "Duck Boat" vehicles, expressed awe at the outpouring of pent-up emotion from generations of fans who had been disappointed so many times before, just when victory appeared near.

"I couldn't believe how loud it was," said back-up catcher Doug Mirabelli. "It's just something you never get tired of. I just wanted to keep going."

And they did keep going about twice as far as originally planned, taking the vehicles from the streets and into the Charles River for a victory lap as fans lined the shore to watch.

Police reported that 10 people were arrested, 12 people were brought to the hospital with minor injuries and 30 people received medical treatment in the street.

Right-fielder Trot Nixon said the World Series victory was for those "who have lived and breathed with Red Sox baseball for years and years."

The players heard heartfelt tales from fans about what the team has meant to them and their relatives over the years — many of them disappointing ones when the Sox were well out of any playoff race or other times when they collapsed in epic fashion.

Nixon talked with one fan who said his grandfather had passed away before seeing his beloved Sox win the big one.

"Well, he's got the best seat in the house now, up there with our Maker," Nixon said. "This is for all the little guys, from Maine to the West Coast. All the fans are part of our family, the family of the Red Sox."

Throughout the parade, music blared from the speakers in the lead vehicle, with selections including "We are the Champions," Handel's Hallelujah Chorus, and "Dirty Water" — the Boston-themed Standells hit that is played after every home victory at Fenway.

Pitcher Pedro Martinez sat atop his boat, draping himself with the Dominican flag like a cape. Later, as the parade neared an end with a trip around the Charles River, Martinez got hit in the forehead by a baseball thrown from the shoreline; he escaped serious injury but said he had a bit of a headache.

World Series MVP Manny Ramirez waved a sign that a fan handed him: "Jeter is playing golf today. This is better!" a reference to Derek Jeter, shortstop for the rival New York Yankees. Other fans tossed brooms, a tribute to the four-game sweep the Sox staged over the NL St. Louis Cardinals.

Long-haired center fielder Johnny Damon, who is engaged to be married, was the recipient of the most wedding proposals — including a sign that read "Johnny, why not me?" — while second baseman Mark Bellhorn, catcher Jason Varitek and 30-year-old general manager Theo Epstein also received their fair share.

Fans also weighed in on the impending free agency of several of the team's stars, which could lead to a fracturing of the championship team. Signs along the route read "Don't go, D-Lowe" and "Free agents: Why leave this?"

"I've been waiting for this all my life," said Rich Brantley, 47, of Milford, Conn., who traveled several hours to arrive around 7 a.m., well before the 10 a.m. start of the parade. "It's one of the biggest days of my life other than when I got married and had my kids."

Judging by the signs, others had traveled even farther, from Kentucky, Arizona and the West Coast. "3,000 Mile Trek to see 'Tek," read one sign, referring to Varitek.

At an impromptu mini-rally at Fenway before the parade, manager Terry Francona said his team always had what it took to win even if his scruffy players — who dubbed themselves "idiots" — didn't look serious.

"They may not wear their hair normal, they may not dress normal, but they play the game as good as you can," Francona said.

During the parade, several players hoisted signs that said "Idiots Rule!"

The Red Sox first appearance in a World Series since 1986 came at the expense of the rival New York Yankees — the team the Sox beat in a historic comeback in the ALCS playoffs — making it all that much sweeter.

"Every Red Sox fan from now on can walk into Yankee stadium with their head high," Varitek said.

Although the city has had plenty of sports victories to celebrate over the past 86 years, including 16 basketball championships for the Boston Celtics, five Stanley Cups for the Bruins, and two recent championships for the Patriots, the fans who braved the rain Saturday said nothing compared to the Sox' achievements this year, when they finally "reversed the curse."

"But this is absolutely number one," said David Lifsitz, 42, of Medfield, who attended the parade with his 10-year-old daughter, Jen. "This is what you live and die for."