Once your team is in the World Series, it’s never too early to start thinking about a World Series victory parade.
And, from Kansas City’s 1985 experience, the only time the Royals won the World Series, I hope the people who are put in charge of the parade will do some serious brainstorming.
I was one of several reporters who covered the 1985 victory parade, which went up Grand Avenue from the River Market (then theRiver Quay) and ended at the Liberty Memorial, where various officials and players spoke to the huge throng that packed the Liberty Memorial Mall.
I guess it’s too strong to say the parade itself was a disaster, but it was pretty close. In summary, classic cars, overheated catalytic converters and shredded newspaper combined to form a combustible concoction that forced several parade participants, including then-Manager Dick Howser and his wife Nancy to bail from their cars and proceed either on foot or in other vehicles.
The parade proceeded south on Grand.
…When you think of a downtown victory parade, the first thing that comes to mind is confetti, right? Well, there was no confetti at this parade; it was all shredded paper — shredded paper that quickly balled up. And, unfortunately, that paper became both a weapon and a fire accelerant.
The first thing I noticed as I stood near The Star building at 18th and Grand was that some people were taking chunks of balled-up paper and hurling them at the occupants of the cars. Instead of light, fluttery confetti wafting down on the players and their cars, our World Series heroes were being pelted with meteor-like objects with tails. Plus, there were no barriers lining the streets; as best I recall, people pressed right up to the line of cars. The street was a mass of humanity, cars and globs of heavy paper.
That part alone was unsettling to me. But then it got much worse. As the paper piled up on the street, the slow-moving cars began passing over the paper, and in the case of about five cars, the heat from the catalytic converters (emissions-controlling devices) ignited the paper.
I mostly saw smoke, but I’m pretty sure some cars were in flames. As you might expect, the occupants of those cars simply bailed.
I distinctly remember seeing the car in which the Howsers had been riding. The back seat was empty, except for one ladies high-heeled shoe. I didn’t see Nancy after that, and I don’t know what she did, but I imagine she took the other shoe off and proceeded barefoot.
I have read that the car in which Royals’ third baseman George Brett was riding was one of those that caught fire, and there’s a photo of Brett riding a horse and wearing a cowboy hat. Whether the horse ride was planned or spontaneous, I’m sure George was glad he was able to get up and away from the worst of the newspaper onslaught.
“Cowboy” George Brett
Some of the drivers abandoned the cars, which resulted in the parade being re-routed around Crown Center. Thousands of people lining Grand in that vicinity didn’t see the parade as they had planned. I don’t know exactly how the parade was re-routed, but it must have jogged west on one of the numbered streets and then gone up the Main Street hill.
I just remember being glad to finally arrive at the Liberty Memorial, knowing that the players, their families and team officials were out of harm’s way. I was never so glad to see a parade end.
So, if any potential parade planners are reading this, please, do whatever you have to do to get real, sliced and diced confetti. If necessary, import it from New York. Spare no cost.
JimmyCsays: At the juncture of journalism and daily life in KC 
I was there. Was working downtown at the time. Don’t remember any fires, just lots of paper, people and noise.
Don’t know which is more disturbing, seeing Brett in cowboy hat on that horse or the poor horse in the middle of that melee.
What an environmental mess too – probably impacted the sewer system. At least paper eventually disintegrates. Let’s hope we don’t end up throwing little pieces of plastic instead. I think there are biodegradable options.
I’m going to recommend that you be in charge of “parade materiels,” Kate. Patty insists that old-fashioned confetti is no longer used in parades, that it’s some form of shredded paper. So, maybe we’re stuck with the paper gobs. At least, this year, however — assuming we have a victory parade — the people hurling the paper will be on the curb or behind, unable to fire at point-blank range.
Since it’s sort of on topic this time, maybe gayle can tell us why there are three hip, hip hoorays.
There is much written about the origin of the phrase (too much to recount here — God bless the internet!), but as for why three times, not so much. The answer seems to be, no one knows. But several things are expressed in threes, if you think about it.
Hear, hear!
; ‘ )
Given the right amount of media attention, this turn of phrase could be the next Confederate Flag. Especially due to it’s popularity with Redskins fans.
As to what it has to do with trashing the street with kindling for classic cars, I’m not real sure (I didn’t research it for more than a few minutes), but I think I got a preview of the parade (should there be one) the other day when I drove through Gillham Park and watched a guy with a rake, furiously pitching Sycamore leaves into the middle of Gillham Rd. near a storm drain. Imagine a Corvair! You would have a 5% chance of survival…if the wind was just right!
I don’t believe any catalytic converters on classic cars would have been to blame for fires at the time of the ’85 parade. They weren’t mandated until 1975, and there were no 10 year old classic cars at the time. Maybe a late model Corvette. I have heard of a few of those going up pretty quick when parked over dry leaves. The fiber glass body seemed to be a good fuel.
Anyway, I’m glad the Royals exceeded Jim’s expectations this year! Hope I can say Hip-hip-Hooray (Hoorah, Hurrah, Hurray etc.) when it’s all over!
Let’s Go Royals!!!
P.S. John, did you ever figure out why your name appears different than it used to, in the comments? Guess not, huh?
Oh, yeah, I remember that parade, too. I must have been closer to downtown, because I remember great chunks of shredded paper coming from windows several stories up.
One of the Royals players kept trying to respond to the excited cheers directed at him and being diverted with concern about what was happening to the huge bundles of shredded paper rolling under the front bumpers of the vehicle. He would hear someone call his name, look up and try to wave, and then look down again with dismay (alarm?) at the big clumps of shredded paper.
I’ll never forget the parade because it allowed me to collect worker’s comp from The Star for a 1% disability. I was a reporter watching the parade near The Star building at 18th & Grand when I saw fire erupt from beneath one of the cars. To get a better view, I jumped up on the wall that runs around the front of the building, lost my balance, and fell backwards into the sub-basement. Luckily, I managed to “stick” the landing on the 15-foot fall and only broke my foot, not my back or neck. Ah, the things we’ll do for a good story…
I never heard about that, Bill. Of course, you were on The Star side and I was on The Times side, and, naturally, we were bitter rivals. But I guarantee you I wouldn’t have gloated if I’d known you fell off a wall…That was the wildest, goofiest parade ever held. The pictures reflect the chaos.
I forget – is this also the parade where we found that some not-so-shredded paper included income tax records with peoples’ personal information?
I have no recollection of that, Gene.
The windows had not yet been nailed shut on the Grand Avenue side of the Star building. So, people inside, at the urging of people outside, passed most of the fire extinguishers in the building through the windows to try to put out blazing cars.This led to management grousing about having to replace missing extinguishers.
I saw Willie Wilson gingerly open the trunk of a charred sports convertible, in which he had been riding, to retrieve his expensive leather coat, only to drop the smoldering garment in the street and walk south on Grand toward the Liberty Memorial.
Now we’re fleshing this thing out…Steve Paul, now editor of the editorial page, wrote a piece last year, describing how he helped Wilson and his young son out of their car.