Yankee Homecoming

I'm looking forward to Yankee Homecoming.

What can I say?

I like the life it brings downtown. I enjoy some of the sidewalk shows. I might take The Boy to see the bed race. I'll try to grab a Ralph Ayer's tour this time. I'll probably walk through Old Fashioned Sunday and I'm definitely anticipating the fireworks which you can see from my backyard if you crane your neck just so.

A tiny confession: I didn't care for it as much when I was at the Daily News. Some reporters, self included, have difficulty find their muse at a crafts table or hanging on the bargain racks on State Street. But I miraculously managed to get through four summers at the paper without covering a single homecoming parade.

It's only a week. I know that's seven days too long for some folks, but I suspect those same people complained about the city's one-night Rivervest affair. I mean is one night even worth complaining about? I too was inconvenienced by the assembly of Blind Melon fans. I tried going East on Merrimack for my afternoon cup of Plum Island Roasters coffee, but I was quickly turned back by the line of cars. Instead, I grabbed a coffee at the Natural Grocer. I didn't make the concert, however, as I had tickets to the Red Sox.

I'm not quite certain what drives those people to harbor such negative feelings toward anything that draws a crowd, but I suspect they're merely a vocal minority.

Time to put the suspicions to a test. Check out this week's poll on the blog tomorrow. It asks a simple question. Are you looking forward to Yankee Homecoming Yes or No.

I considered drawing up a question with some shades of gray, but I don't want to complicate things.

Yes or no, are you looking forward to Yankee Homecoming?

I definitely am.