Boston Celebrates World Series Wi; Red Sox Victory Parade in Boston
BLACKWELL: Live look at Boston this morning. Boston Strong as crowds come out to celebrate the Red Sox World Series title. This parade starts at 10:00. It's going to start at Fenway Park and finish in by the Charles River, two dozen duck boats as part of this celebration today. Again, I've said it several times this morning, not just the city of Boston, but people across the country celebrating for a city that's still healing after that April bombing at the marathon.</s>KOSIK: A much needed celebration.</s>BLACKWELL: Absolutely.</s>KOSIK: From worst to first and from tragedy to Boston Strong.</s>BLACKWELL: In just under two hours as we said the Red Sox fans getting ready to show the home team just how much they appreciate Wednesday's big World Series victory.</s>KOSIK: CNN's Alexandra Fields is live in Boston with more. Alexandra, good morning.</s>FIELD: Alison, it's a morning filled with emotion here in Boston, much of it good emotion, of course. Right behind me the crowds are gathering by the thousands in the same spot where they stood six months ago to watch the Boston marathon. They now have a reason to celebrate and to cheer. They will be out here applauding and paying tribute to the Red Sox World Series champs. But we are told the team will also stop along the parade route. They will pause at the marathon finish line to pay tribute to the marathon survivors. Here is what one of those survivors is saying about that honor this morning.</s>HEATHER ABBOTT, BOMBING SURVIVOR: It felt like we were a city that had such a tragedy happen and we were able to be resilient and heal over the course of the baseball season coincidentally.</s>FIELD: Today's parade taking on special meaning, but this is a town that loves baseball and this is a town that loves the Red Sox. So these parades have always drawn huge crowds. Back in 2004, it's estimated that more than 3 million people lined the parade route. And back in 2004, it's estimated there were about a million people cheering on the World Series champs -- Alison, Victor.</s>KOSIK: Alexandra, let's talk about security. Obviously it's going to be pretty tight. What extra measures are you seeing at this point?</s>FIELD: Well, Alison, this is the largest public gathering, of course, since the marathon and of course, this parade follows part of the marathon route. So security is top of mind this morning. We are seeing uniformed police officers all over the city. Boston police say that they have added, of course, extra uniformed and non-uniformed officers. Their presence is important to the crowds who want to be here today. We are also told that anyone who brings a backpack out here to the parade could have that backpack randomly searched. So again, security is the most important matter this morning -- Alison, Victor.</s>BLACKWELL: All right, Alexandra Field in Boston this morning. Thanks for that. Stay with us throughout the morning. We'll be covering the parade live when it kicks off in less than two hours. Again, at 10:00, you can check out the parade on cnn.com/live. And we have a big get this morning. We've got Boston famed Red Sox announcer, the announcer for the Boston Red Sox, Joe Castiglione who is on the phone with us right now. He is at the parade route. First, I want to ask you about the energy there and the feeling because this is no ordinary parade for a team that just brought home the pennant.</s>JOE CASTIGLIONE, RADIO ANNOUNCER, BOSTON RED SOX (via telephone): People are so fired up because the Red Sox went from worst to first. They lost 93 games last year and won 118 this year. And it was a big surprise and we're very excited.</s>BLACKWELL: Give us an idea of the level of responsibility that the players took on. I mean, we remember that moment when David Ortiz walked out and said this is our city after the bombings. Talk about what changed for the players.</s>CASTIGLIONE: Well, that night after the marathon bombings, we went to Cleveland and every player went out to dinner together, which doesn't happen very often in baseball. It sort of brought them tight together and they really understood the responsibility. But they really understood what was -- what they could do to help. They went in groups of five to visit the victims in the hospitals and I think it really helped unify this team.</s>KOSIK: This is Alison Kosik here as well with Victor. Tell me about the parade. Who is going to be involved in it? Who could we see?</s>CASTIGLIONE: Now all the players will be on duck boats, which, of course, is a Boston tradition and they'll go down Boston streets and go by the bombing site. After that they go into the Charles River and have some fun there.</s>KOSIK: Any baseballs in the river?</s>CASTIGLIONE: There may be. There may be people throwing baseballs.</s>BLACKWELL: Joe, after that long drought, many called it the curse, there was the '04 win, there was the '07 win, but those were on the road. This is the first World Series win since 1918. What does it mean? Put it in perspective for us at Fenway Park since 1918?</s>CASTIGLIONE: The first two were tremendous. So I don't think it was -- it was different, the one at home, because the fans and -- the fans are very well behaved. People stay in their seats for an hour and a half and two hours after the game was amazing.</s>KOSIK: Just an amazing comeback from last year?</s>CASTIGLIONE: Yes, it was night and day from 93 losses to 108 wins, really sensational. So many people involved, the players, general manager, the manager, they all did such a wonderful job.</s>BLACKWELL: What's the role of this team in the city? We all know people from Boston, but especially now as the healing continues just a few months after the bombing? What is their new role if it has changed or intensified in this city?</s>CASTIGLIONE: Well, I think the Red Sox has always been number one, so I don't know if the role has changed. But I think the players are more civically aware of what's going on and what their responsibility has been. They really got -- took this thing to heart and I think this was part of the thing that drove them, and they really were the instigators of Boston Strong.</s>KOSIK: Did you happen to cover the marathon, the bombing, were you there?</s>CASTIGLIONE: No. We were out in the box getting ready to go to Cleveland about 45 minutes after the game ended.</s>KOSIK: But you certainly felt the effects, didn't you?</s>CASTIGLIONE: Yes, we did. In fact my family was heading over there and I called to stop them because they had gone to the game, which, of course, is always a big sell-out. And it was certainly a very, very scary time. And many times our players' wives run in the marathon. There were none this year, but it happened about 50 minutes after the game ended.</s>BLACKWELL: And give us an idea of the energy and the feeling. We talked about today, but that night when it was clear and everybody watched it on television, the Boston Red Sox, World Series champions. Take us in Fenway Park that night.</s>CASTIGLIONE: It was a 6-1 game. So after we ended the curse in '84 after 86 years without a win, I think people expected us to win. There was great anticipation. But a lot of joyous people, I think, and they celebrated in the right way. You know, they still are sort of pinching themselves that this happened because of the worst to first.</s>BLACKWELL: All right, Joe Castiglione, the announcer on radio for the Boston Red Sox. It is a pleasure to talk to you this morning. Enjoy the parade. Of course, sir, we celebrate with the city of Boston and the team.</s>CASTIGLIONE: Well, thank you so much.</s>BLACKWELL: Thank you for speaking with us. And we'll continue or coverage throughout the morning with the big celebration in Boston and the parade that starts at 10:00. We'll have it her on air, but you can watch it online at cnn.com/live.</s>KOSIK: OK, but first it's been a decade since an American male won a tennis grand slam event, but John Isner would like to break that dubious streak in 2014. Here's this week's "Open Court."</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think you can too.</s>PAT CASH, HOST, "OPEN COURT": Well, John's great asset is his height. That height gives him the opportunity to get angles the normal players don't get.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Where are we in tennis in the U.S.?</s>JOHN ISNER, NUMBER ONE RANKED U.S. PLAYER: I think in the '70s, '80s, '90s, I think American tennis fans were spoiled. I think you've got to look at the era that our guys are playing in. Djokovic, Federer, we were a bit spoiled in the past.