HOW THE PARADE WENT DOWN ON CAUSEWAY STREET

You know your city is dominating in sports when people have "usual spots" for victory parades. My usual spot is on Tremont Street, right outside Park Street station. Stand up on the elevated flower beds and you have a sick view of the parade without being squeezed or having to show up at sunrise. But for yesterday's Celtics game, we went to Causeway Street, right where the parade pulled out of TD BankNorth Garden.

We got there at about 9:20 AM. Around 9:40, Doc Rivers was dropped off in a taxi. That's right, a plain, ordinary taxi pulled over to the curb and Doc Rivers walked out, which drove the crowd nuts. At 10:00, Tommy Heinsohn pulled into the Garden in a minivan.

Infamous WEEI caller and Foxy Lady aficionado Frank from Gloucester was there, wearing a customized Yankee jacket and a Celtics hat. For some reason he was allowed to stand inside of the bike fences and on the street.

It didn't get really crowded until 10:30. The north side of the street started chanting the most random things. They were big fans of the "Yankees Suck" chant, as well as chanting "M-V-P" toward nobody in particular. "Kobe Sucks" was another popular one.

At 10:50, the players began climbing onto the Duck Boats in the players lot, which sent people climbing the 8 foot fence for a better look. At 11:00, the bike cops lined up on the street. At 11:10, they rolled off and the parade began. I was up front, but hardly saw Paul Pierce. I didn't see Ray Allen at all. But we had a great view of KG and most of the other players.

The best part of the parade was the stink of big fat cigars emanating from the Duck Boats. I love the smell of cigar smoke at a Celtics parade. It smells like...

Victory.

By 11:20, all the Duck Boats had gone past. They were flying. It seems like every parade drives faster and faster. And with no rally, it was quite anticlimactic, leaving everyone wanting just a little bit more. But some pizza and a few beers at Halftime Pizza afterward satiated me.