The parade before the Hall of Fame game at Cooperstown was one of those parades that makes you wonder why Canadians can't pull off a parade like that. I think there is something about the massive police presence in that makes them part of it rather than a crowd control function. Plus lots of bright, often primary colours. Face it. Our big parades are Santa Claus parades and as often as not it rains in late November.
Tomorrow, inside the park when my apparent stalking of Bronson Arroyo fades a bit and I concentrate on the homers. One can only crop so much before the coffee is made.
Comments
cm - May 16, 2006 10:02 AM
Maybe Canada's just not a parading sort of country. Although Campbellton puts on a pretty good Salmon Festival Parade.
Mandy - May 16, 2006 8:51 PM
hey, she ain't no Gold Cup Parade my dear.
Alan - May 16, 2006 9:43 PM
God no.
T-Bo - May 16, 2006 11:50 PM
At least the parade weather was sunny, sunshine I couldn't really enjoy, being inside like I was....sounds like a good time, despite the rainout.
Aahh, Canadian parades.......
The Montreal Stanley Cup parade was always good, so after the last Cup in '93 a bunch of us were going up to see it. One of the group had taken off work, paid a scalper $350 U.S. for a seat near the top of the Forum and seen the game. His family had a camp on the St. Lawrence near Alexandria Bay, so we were all set to go up there, spend Thursday night drinking and (maybe) fishing and then make the (shorter) hop to Montreal for Friday's parade.
EXCEPT.....
Our buddy got out of the Forum about half a block ahead of the riots that ensued after the Cup-clincher and couldn't get out of town fast enough. He was back in Syracuse by 3:30 the next morning, by-passing the camp, and refused to go back for the parade.
So my brother-in-law and I left here 6:30 a.m. Friday morning, got lunch once we got there and waited an hour for the parade, which had been reduced to six or seven flatbed trucks with players and trophies on them and a massive police presence. We then went to a sports store across Atwater from the Forum to wait another hour for the latest shipment of official locker room hats.
Sad total, nine hours of driving for a 20-minute parade and a hat apiece, plus lunch and some beer we hauled back (I loved the late great Laurentide). My wife still laughs at us for that one.