P.J. Stanley

Red Sox Nation at the University of Massachusetts Amherst has been known to celebrate whether they win or lose. Last night was no exception, as students gathered in the Southwest residential area following the Red Sox game seven win.

Crowds gathered around 11:50 p.m. shortly after Cleveland Indian Casey Blake flied out to Red Sox center fielder Coco Crisp deep in center field. Cheers and chants were heard all throughout the Southwest residential area, ranging from the classic “Yankees Suck” chant to a crowd of hundreds of people singing Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline.”

By 12:30 p.m. hundreds of students emerged from their dorm rooms to join in celebrating the victory. At one point the students took a stab at the police force as one student screamed to the crowd, “Whose school?” The crowd responded back, “Our school.”

Students stayed between Berkshire dining hall and JQA while more cautious students watched from afar. Fans rejoiced for approximately an hour, by 1:00 a.m. most people were loosing their voices or losing interest in screaming, as they dispersed without any major incidents.

As early as 8:00 p.m. last night, UMass police along with Massachusetts State Police and Amherst town police began preparing for the potential threat of riots. Around 30 officers on foot were in attendance while several mounted officers patrolled supported their effort. Police officers had blocked off entries into Southwest in hopes of preventing more people from showing up.

Police were extremely tight-lipped, not giving out any details regarding the precautions taken for the night. The only advice given was to “Go home.” Police did not want last night to resemble the December 15, 2006 riots a result of the UMass football team’s loss to Appalachian State University. That riot involved over 1,800 people with property damage in the hundred thousand dollar range.

According to Chief of Police Barbara O’Connor last night’s efforts were successful as they avoided all the problems of the previous year’s riots. She ended her statements with an enthusiastic “Go Sox.”

Missy Penedo, a UMass junior, said, “rioting is a way to celebrate your team’s victory; but if your school is concerned about riots, then they should have a University sanctioned rally or another way for students to safely express their team spirit.”

From a different perspective, intoxicated Red Sox fan Tony “Anonymous” said “It is my natural-born right as a United States American and as a devoted fan to the Red Sox Nation to get ‘wicked mint pissah hammafaced’ and destroy everything in sight to express my undying love for the Boston Red Sox.” Tony was ecstatic about the game seven victory last night, as he showed off his Boston Red Sox “B” tattoo while screaming “All Bow Down to Pedroia,” at the top of his lungs.

Since 2004, there have been over 145 students who were sanctioned for their participation in the riotous behavior on this campus, up to and including suspension and expulsion from the University.

Students arrested last night will also be processed through the criminal Court of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, in addition to University sanctions.

“Those students who engage in riotous actions that endanger themselves and others are almost always fueled by alcohol consumption,” the UMass responsible fan behavior website stated. Since last night was a Sunday, the amount of drunken students was held to a minimum, a dynamic that definitely helped keep the celebrations to a calm level. For more on acceptable fan behavior, students can look on the web at: www.umass.edu/umpd/