An estimated 2 million people celebrating the Philadelphia Eagles’ long-awaited first Super Bowl win will descend on the city Thursday as the Vince Lombardi trophy is paraded through five miles of jubilant fans.
Democratic Mayor Jim Kenney called on them to celebrate with passion and pride and warned the small ”knucklehead contingent” that caused trouble after Sunday’s 41-33 win over the New England Patriots to stay away.
Officials revealed plans for the parade on Tuesday Jack Doyle Jersey , saying fans should expect some dramatic surprises, jumbotrons, free subway rides and 850 portable toilets.
Here’s a look at some of the parade details:
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THE ROUTE
The team will leave the stadium where the Eagles play in south Philadelphia around 11 a.m., head up Broad Street to City Hall, and along the Benjamin Franklin Parkway before ending up at the Philadelphia Museum of Art’s famous ”Rocky” steps.
Fourteen jumbotron screens will dot the route to ensure that revelers don’t miss any of the festivities. Revelers will be entitled to one free Bud Light at about two dozen bars as the beer maker comes through on a promise made to Eagles offensive tackle Lane Johnson before the season.
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TRANSPORTATION
The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority is offering free service on its two major subway lines, while its commuter lines from the suburbs will run only inbound service in the morning.
Kenney warned people not to drive into the city as dozens of streets will be closed and heavy traffic delays are expected. The city will also enforce a long list of temporary parking restrictions and bicycle routes around the parade will also be inaccessible.
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`KNUCKLEHEAD CONTINGENT’
Kenney said he expects Thursday morning’s parade crowd to be calmer than the one that included some people who shattered storefront windows, overturned a car, ate horse feces, collapsed a hotel’s awning, hit the city’s police commissioner in the head with a beer bottle, toppled light poles and set off fireworks after the Eagles’ win on Sunday night.
He called that small group of troublemakers ”the knucklehead contingent” and told them to stay home. He said alcoholic beverages would be confiscated, but officials didn’t release any details on how they would limit open containers when faced with such a massive crowd.
”I think it will be a different tenor, a different element,” Kenney said without noting the city’s Wing Bowl and Mummers Parade, where it is common for heavy drinking to start before sunrise.
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BOSTON — Their bats clearly on fire, the Boston Red Sox head to New York this weekend for the latest chapter of the rivalry with the New York Yankees.
But first, there’s work to do at home.
After blowing a 6-0 lead but surviving to move back into first place in the American League East, the Red Sox go for the series and season sweep of the floundering Los Angeles Angels at Fenway Park on Thursday night.
With Steven Wright hitting the disabled list with left knee inflammation, left-hander Brian Johnson (1-2, 4.50 ERA) gets the start for Boston against rookie righty Jaime Barria (5-3 Adam Vinatieri Jersey , 3.40) in Thursday night’s finale — before the three games in the Bronx.
The Red Sox, who have scored 48 runs in their last six games, hit the halfway mark of their schedule by moving a half-game ahead of the Yankees at 54-27. They have outscored the Angels 45-10 in five games this season.
Johnson started in the fifth game of the season, allowing one run on six hits in six innings at Miami. He now makes his eighth career start and second of the season. This will be his first start against Angels, although earlier this season, Johnson pitched three scoreless innings of relief in Boston’s three-game sweep in Anaheim.
The Red Sox are a season-high 27 games over .500. They are 3-3 against the Yankees, who are off Thursday before the third series of the season between the rivals.
J.D. Martinez hit his 25th homer of the season Wednesday, already one more than Mookie Betts‘ club-leading total last season. Martinez is the seventh Red Sox player with at least 25 homers in half a season.
“He’s becoming a leader of the team in the clubhouse,” Boston manager Alex Cora said after Wednesday’s game.
Martinez, asked if he sets offensive goals before the start of the season, said, “Nah. My goal is to not give an at-bat away, you know?”
While his team did rally from six runs down to make a game of it Wednesday, Los Angeles manager Mike Scioscia didn’t have much to be happy about following the 9-6 defeat.
The Angels, who have lost five straight and 12 of their last 16 games, got bad news before the game regarding Zack Cozart and then saw just-recalled reliever Jake Jewell carted off the field after suffering what appeared to be a serious ankle injury.
“Hoping everything is OK with Jewell,” Cora said. “Everyone in the dugout and clubhouse will be praying for him.”
Cozart will likely miss the remainder of the season after surgery to repair a torn labrum in his non-throwing shoulder.
“Zack Cozart received a second opinion on his left shoulder after experiencing continued discomfort during his progressions,” the Angels said in statement. “After additional imaging and clinical examination, it was recommended that he undergo surgery to repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder. Zack will undergo surgery in Los Angeles in the near future. We will update with additional information when appropriate.”
As far as the Angels’ current situation, Scioscia said Marvin Harrison Jersey , “We’ll keep battling, but at some point obviously we need to put both ends together, get the pitching we need and get some early runs, get the game on our terms and start to do things the way we can.”
Jewell, appearing in his third major league game after arriving earlier in the day, was injured covering home plate on a wild pitch in the eighth inning.
“It was sad, really sad,” Los Angeles catcher Martin Maldonado said. “Young guy or an old guy, it’s hard to see a teammate go down like that.”
It was back in 2014 that Angels right-hander Garrett Richards suffered a season-ending injury while covering first base at Fenway.
Jewell and infielder Nolan Fontana had been recalled, while Akeel Morris was sent back to Salt Lake City and Tuesday night loser John Lamb hit the 10-day disabled with left shoulder and elbow inflammation.
The Angels also said rookie Shohei Ohtani with have his left elbow re-evaluated Thursday — amid talk he could return as a hitter this season while not pitching.
“If he was solely a DH, he would have been cleared right away,” general manager Billy Eppler said on MLB Radio, “but because you are wanting that ligament to heal, to get that impact he brings on the mound, you want to — I don’t want to coin it the danger zone — but you want to get to the point where you are feeling that area has plenty of time to scar and heal.
“That’s what the three-week prescription is for, to buy you that time of scarring and healing.”
Barria, who allowed one run in five innings in his last start,has gone an impressive 3-1 with a 3.10 ERA on the road. He has never faced the Red Sox.