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HALIFAX — A taste of Fenway Park came to the Nova Scotia legislature yesterday as the World Series trophy arrived on a visit secured by the rabid fans of this "outpost of Red Sox Nation."
There was no beer in the elegant room at Province House, and instead of the Green Monster, the gathering was watched over by huge portraits of long-dead monarchs. But team mascot Wally worked the crowd, the smell of hot dogs filled the air and team loyalties were laid bare.
"Many Nova Scotians consider the Red Sox to be our home team," Premier Rodney MacDonald said, sparking a burst of cheering and a shouted criticism of the archrival New York Yankees.
There was the infant in a Red Sox cap, the senior who has been a fan for a half-century and a guy whose shirt said he would cheer for only two teams: Boston, and any team that beat the Yankees.
Nova Scotia Premier Rodney MacDonald holds the World Series Trophy at the legislature in Halifax on Monday. (Andrew Vaughn/The Canadian Press)
Most important, there was the trophy. Won last year by the Red Sox — their second championship in four years after an 86-year drought — the most coveted prize in professional baseball had never before come to Halifax.
"It feels just great," long-time supporter Darrell Corbett, 73, said after touching the trophy for the first time in his life.
Wearing a baseball-patterned tie and a Red Sox cap and pushing his oxygen tank, Corbett said he'd been a fan since 1952. He'd doubted that the local Bluenose Bosox Brotherhood would be able to persuade the Red Sox to bring the trophy, but when they did, there was "no question" that he'd come to see it.
Don Hyslop, the co-founder of the Brotherhood, admitted that they had to resort to tactics verging on harassment to get the Red Sox onside.
"We inundated them with e-mails," he said. "My wife joked that they'd put a block on my e-mail address. All we could do was try to convince them it would be a worthy trip, that we had a fan base here who'll be very appreciative."
It worked.
Hyslop was up early yesterday, nervously checking the weather reports. The flight was a bit late and he was at the airport in plenty of time to see the trophy carried through the terminal. It had been uncrated at customs, he said, and "even Yankees fans" wanted to take pictures as it went past.
First stop for the trophy was the invitation-only gathering at the legislature. There were several other private events last night, but the public will have their chance today. Visits to a local hospital, sports hall of fame and mall are scheduled before the trophy is expected to return to Boston this evening.
