Party for Red Sox Nation past and present

Amid all the mystical, psychological and historical significance of the Red Sox win in the World Series, let's not overlook one of the most fascinating distinctions of this team. In situations where most athletes cover their fears or shortcomings, these guys bluntly told the truth.

When Pedro Martinez eschewed the formulaic and called the Yankees his "daddy," he exasperated New Englanders. But the man was telling the truth, employing a brand of humility rarely seen in modern professional sports. The Yankees owned him, had his number, and he wasn't even supposed to use that modest language to describe their mastery.

The athlete's code says never admit a weakness, no matter how obvious it is. Denial will fix everything, wrote San Francisco Chronicle.

"This is for anyone who ever played for the Red Sox, anyone who ever rooted for the Red Sox, anyone who has ever been to Fenway Park," said general manager Theo Epstein, the kid from Brookline who grew up to build a champion. "This is bigger than the 25 players in this clubhouse. This is for all of Red Sox Nation past and present. I hope they're enjoying it as much as we are."

Party on, New England. At 11:40 p.m. EDT, the Sox returned to the pinnacle of the national pastime when Keith Foulke retired Edgar Renteria for the final out to complete a spectacular four-game sweep of a St. Louis team that posted the best record in the majors (105-57) in the regular season.

The historic triumph touched off a delirious celebration from the infield in St. Louis to the far reaches of New England, Boston Globe informed.

Fresh $10 T-shirt options included "Yankees Choked: Biggest Collapse in Sports History."

A brown boat near the front of the procession held former Red Sox who almost got a parade but didn't quite, including Dennis "Oil Can" Boyd, Rich Gedman, Butch Hobson, Joe Morgan, Luis Tiant and Sam Horn.

The franchise's three principal owners, John Henry, Tom Werner and Larry Lucchino, rode on a blue boat with the World Series trophy.

Most of the starting pitchers rode together in one boat, most of the bullpen in another. By land, Martinez had an "Idiots Rule!" sign tucked into his pants. By sea, he painfully held his forehead briefly after a baseball chucked from the crowd plunked it. The ball floated down the river and Martinez seemed fine afterward, aside from a headache, reports Newsday.