Thanks For Stopping By
“Thanks For Stopping By” was a slogan we developed for Maloney’s Pub in Holyoke. And that’s exactly how Boston is currently feeling about the 50,000 visitors from Scotland known as the "Tartan Army" who just blew through town. They sure as hell knew how to laugh, drink, and have a good time.
When they arrived in Boston to see Scotland play in the World Cup, they took over the town like nobody else has before, wearing kilts, singing and chanting as they marched along playing the bagpipes. They even took over Fenway Park with their antics at a Sox game—and they don’t know a damn thing about baseball. The Scots have a long tradition of putting traffic cones on statues, and they were doing it all over town. George Washington, Bill Russell, and former Mayor James Michael Curley all got the treatment. Hey, don’t get any ideas, Gin Bottle Garvey.
Even the front page of the New York Times mentioned the bagpipes and how Boston pretty much ran out of beer. Apparently the Tartan Army can outdrink the Irish, even on the best St. Patrick’s Day.
After all the revelry, the Scots pitched in and helped Boston Parks and Rec pick up the trash. A longtime crew member said he’d never seen anything like it before. The Globe ran a full-page ad thanking the Tartan Army for the laughter, the bagpipes, and the memories. Then the Tartan Army ran a full-page ad in the Globe thanking Boston for a reception they’ll never forget.
Now Bob Kraft wants to bring the Pats to Scotland to play an NFL game at Hampden Park, Scotland’s national soccer stadium, which holds more than 50,000 fans. The Sox are talking about playing a game in Scotland and Boston Mayor Michelle Wu just signed a letter of intent to make Glasgow a sister city to Boston.
I never played soccer as a kid, but I think we’re going to see a boom after this World Cup. The Wall Street Journal said, "This game is going to get kids off the couch."
As a sign-off for a happy Fourth, I want to salute my favorite Scot—Hot Rod, Rowdy Roddy Piper. Let’s live it up like the Tartan Army this weekend. Keep your dukes up.
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