Dust settles on Sox stunner

There will be no rally at City Hall Plaza after the Red Sox World Series Victory Parade, which begins at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Mayor Thomas Menino said during a press conference on Thursday.

Menino said concerns about crowd size and public safety prompted city officials to shelve the traditional rally at City Hall Plaza.

The parade will start at the intersection of Boylston and Kilmarnock Streets, on the south side of Fenway Park. It will follow Boylston Street to the Public Garden, before turning onto Tremont Street and ending just north of City Hall.

"This is a historic occasion that goes to the heart of what it means to be a Bostonian," Menino said. "I want to join all of Red Sox Nation in congratulating our team on this amazing achievement. The Red Sox and I invite fans and families from all over our area to come celebrate this magnificent victory with us at a rolling rally this Saturday in our city."

Red Sox players, coaches and management will speak as they move down the parade route. The players will be carried in Duck Tour boats, amphibious vehicles that were used in both Patriots' Super Bowl victory parades.

Public safety is the first priority, Menino said, and Boston Police will not tolerate violent or destructive behavior.

Red Sox President Larry Lucchino echoed Menino's request.

"It is time for us to celebrate in an appropriate way," Lucchino told Hearst Television. "There are four or five of the Red Sox players who have done [public service announcements] at the urging of the mayor and the city, and they say, 'Keep the faith, keep the peace and we intend for this rally to be a very happy occasion.'"

Boston officials said crowds could be more than double the 1.5 million fans who filled city streets for the Patriots' 2003 Super Bowl Victory Parade. One Boston television station estimated that almost 5 million people could turn out for Saturday's parade.

REVERSING THE CURVE

Only blocks away from the City Hall press conference, Gov. Mitt Romney marked the end of an era, removing the frequently photographed "reverse curve" sign on Storrow Drive.

For more than 30 years, Red Sox fans spray-painted the sign to read "reverse the curse," only to have public works remove the paint, prompting fans to repaint the sign.

After last week's win over the Yankees, someone updated the sign to say "reversed the curse."

Romney, wearing a Red Sox jacket and blue jeans, got out of his car and ran across Storrow Drive while police scrambled to stop oncoming traffic.

The governor raised himself over the highway on a mechanized lift and used a blowtorch to remove two bolts holding the sign to the Longfellow Bridge. Romney made no formal speeches, and did not replace the sign.

The sign will be auctioned off. Proceeds from the action will be donated to the Jimmy Fund, a charity for children with cancer.

Staff Writers Julien Phyffer and Dave Kauffman contributed to this report.