(Let it be understood that the above picture did not accompany the story below. However, being on hand to do the story about the trophy visit for The Town Common I couldn’t resist jumping in for a picture as well. Hey, any longsuffering Red Sox fan would have done the same thing, wouldn’t they?
During the last Open House I was part of at Ipswich Middle School in early 2002 I told the parents that I had been teaching for a long time, in fact I had been around to see the Bruins, Celtics, and now the Patriots capture championships. I asked the parents how much longer I’d have to teach before the same thing would happen to the Red Sox. Some wanted to know how old I intended to live to!
My father took me to my first Red Sox game in the 1950s. I recall being in awe of how close the left field wall was. I remember Ted Williams as someone who refused to wear a tie and had no use for the media. The only modern athlete I can equate him with is Rasheed Wallace. No question, though, that Ted was a great hitter but of course despite having him the Red Sox were always also-rans.
I remember getting caught up in the excitement of the 1967 & 1986 Red Sox. I am glad that Boston management welcomed Billy Buckner back this year on Opening Day. No one person loses a game or a Series but his error will always flashback in my mind every time a grounder goes through some unfortunate player’s wickets.
In my opinion the greatest Red Sox moment was when they came back in the AL Championship series in 2004 against the Yankees after being down 3-0. Neither the Yankees or the Red Sox have been the same since it happened.)
(Duford Family poses with Red Sox trophies – (left to right – Jeff, Duffy, Roger, Ron, Jerry, Rudy, Scot)
A veritable sea of red appeared on May 14th at Winner’s Circle in Salisbury for an appealing event organized by the Massachusetts Lottery. Attendees got a chance to see the Boston Red Sox World Series championship trophies from the 2004 and 2007 seasons and get pictures taken with those trophies.
With a line of excited fans within the restaurant and out the back door, it was obvious that the opportunity to see both World Series trophies at one time was very enticing to many in the area.
It has been a while since the Red Sox won the first of those trophies after a four-game sweep of the St. Louis Cardinals in October of 2004 but the memory of that event is still fresh in the minds of many.
“The win in 2004 was the best,” said Mary Hargreaves of Salisbury Beach after having her picture taken. “For all those years people made fun of the team. When we finally won it I was almost numb.”
George Roux of Salisbury agreed. “It was ten times better than the 2007 one. I don’t have one t-shirt that has, ‘2007 World Series Champs,’ on it. All of them say ‘2004.’
For some on hand at Winner’s Circle, memories of the Red Sox stir emotions. “I grew up with the Red Sox,” said Pam Henshaw of Amesbury. “I went to the games as a little girl with my father. He passed away before they won a World Series. My mother and I watched games together and she saw both World Series wins. She passed away in March.”
Plenty of youngsters came by with their parents to get a picture taken standing behind the trophies. Not everyone was certain that the kids in the audience understood the magnitude of what the Red Sox accomplished. “I’m not sure that these kids know how hard winning a championship can be,” said Ron Duford, a member of the family that owns Winner’s Circle.
His brother Jerry said that winning the first one in 2004 was crucial. “The Red Sox have been rolling ever since. They’re now contenders each year. I’m optimistic about this year.”
Jerry explained that he and his two brothers grew up in Salisbury and that what is now Winner’s Circle had been their residence from 1955-1973. “We lived here until 1973 and then converted it into a bring-your-own-beer game room. Later it was changed into what it is now.”
Jerry added, “We were very fortunate to have the Lottery pick us to show the trophies. We put our name in to get them but never knew when the trophies would be available.”
Many area Red Sox fans are pleased on May 14th that Winner’s Circle persisted.
McClelland Miscellanea 