Rowdy fans at parade should be benched

Red Sox fans celebrated in style at another duck boat parade, but the actions of a few reflected poorly on all of us. Overenthusiastic Sox fans nailed Alex Cora and the World Series trophy with beer cans during the Red Sox duck boat procession. According to police, Patrick Connolly, 19, of Sandwich drilled Cora with a full can of beer, which exploded on the irate manager near Copley Square during the parade celebrating the Sox’ World Series win. At another point along the parade route, a beer can launched by an unidentified member of the rowdy crowd scored a direct hit on the Sox’ World Series trophy, breaking some pieces. Connolly was arraigned yesterday afternoon at Boston Municipal Court on a felony charge of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, in addition to lesser charges of disorderly conduct and underage drinking. Five other people were arrested during the parade, mostly on alcohol-related charges. A couple of weeks ago at Gillette Stadium, a Marshfield man slung his drink at Tyreek Hill, a Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver who had just scored a touchdown. All this bad behavior is going to end up costing everybody if people can’t be trusted to act decently for even a short period of time. Duck boat parades are not a birthright. Players could just as easily be ferried around the city in buses or trolleys. The audacity of some of these young fans is incredible. To be drinking in public, in clear view of law enforcement, is one thing, but to brazenly hurl full beers at the celebrants shows a lack of civility, common sense and decency. Twenty years ago we didn’t have things like duck boat parades or beer gardens or zip lines or scores of open-air concerts in downtown Boston. Activities like these enrich the lives of visitors and residents as well. Safety and liability are going to come into play in a big way, soon. We are a litigious society. Let us do a better job of making sure young people appreciate the many gifts, sports-related or otherwise, Boston has to offer. Offenders should also face harsh punishment. Too often bad behavior leads to a mild slap on the wrist. This does a disservice to everybody.