CHICOPEE - Organizers of the third annual Fest-of-All say the four-day event that concluded on Sunday was a success, despite some rainy weather.

The biggest attraction is always the fireworks, which went off as scheduled on Saturday. Also on Saturday, former Red Sox catcher Doug Mirabelli signed autographs for $20 each. Chapdelaine said 134 people stood in the rain waiting to meet Mirabelli.

That's it in a nutshell. The Red Sox burgeoning dynasty explained. Doug Mirabelli, a marginal Major Leaguer turned ex-Major Leaguer, a former one-trick pony backup catcher for the Sox, shows up at some nondescript event in some jerkwater Massachusetts town a hundred miles from nowhere, and 134 people stand in a line out in a rainstorm to shell out 20 bucks for his autograph.

Owners of other teams can take their talk of "small markets" and cram it. The Sox don't have an advantage over other teams because of population or ballpark lease or taxpayer funding or any of that other crap. If anything, the Red Sox are at a disadvantage to most other teams. Montreal had more people and they couldn't keep a franchise. Half the towns in America built stadia for their teams, but still they cry poor mouth and say they can't compete with the Sox. But it's got nothing to do with economics and everything to do with fan loyalty. Everyone talks about how dedicated Cubs fans are, but if they cut their backup catcher this year, do you think 134 are going to drive to Joliet and stand out in the rain for a Henry Blanco autograph? Not on your life. That's the difference between being the Team of the Decade and 100 years without a championship.