My View From Las Vegas
Monday, April 11, 2005
Doug Mills/NYT, left; Vincent Laforet/NYT
David Ortiz of the Boston Red Sox showed his new ring to fans while the Yankees looked on from the visitors dugout.
Red Sox Get Their Rings
By BLOOMBERG NEWS
April 11 -- The Boston Red Sox officially marked their first World Series title in 86 years today, receiving rings and raising the Major League Baseball championship banner at Fenway Park.
The ceremonies were held before Boston's home opener against the New York Yankees, the Red Sox's fiercest rivals and the team they beat in an historic comeback to win the American League pennant last October.
The Red Sox started the season on April 3 in New York, then played in Toronto. Postseason rings and pennants generally are presented at the team's first home game of the next season, with baseball setting the schedule.
Yankee manager Joe Torre said since the ceremony was announced in February that it was up to individual team members whether they watched from the visitors' dugout.
Most of them chose to be there, and Torre tipped his cap to Boston manager Terry Francona, who returned to the team after being hospitalized last week because of chest pains.
The World Series flag was raised as dozens of former Red Sox players looked on. Hall of Famer Carl Yastrzemski and former All- Star infielder Johnny Pesky helped pull the rope that hoisted the banner up the stadium flagpole.
Boston will start Tim Wakefield against New York's Mike Mussina in today's game. Fenway Park, the oldest and smallest ballpark in the majors, will be sold out for the 146th straight game dating back to the 2003 season.
The celebration comes six months after the Red Sox became the first major-league team to win a seven-game postseason series after losing the first three contests. After that pennant-winning performance against the Yankees, Boston swept the St. Louis Cardinals for the World Series title.
The Red Sox-Yankees rivalry dates back to the year after Boston's last Series' win, when it sold Babe Ruth to New York. Ruth became the first player to hit 60 home runs in a season and 700 in his career, and the Yankees won a record 26 World Series championships.
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