Now the celebration will begin and it will continue through the raising of the World Series championship flag at Fenway Park in April. For most Red Sox fans, it will never end.

The World Series was so anti-climatic, after the Yankees series and the failure of the Cardinals to perform anywhere near their season level, that it will take a day to revive the essence of just what has happened.

However, it will take no more than a day and the parade in Boston on Saturday to get that done.

The most inspiring aspect of this World Series win is that nearly all the right things have been said. Right from the final out, the current Sox spoke of the fans and players who have made the Red Sox the franchise over the years.

The connection between the players and the Sox faithful was thus proven real. That is important to this celebration.

Imagine if the players said nothing about the fans or those who suffered on the field without a ring, like Ted Williams and Johnny Pesky.

There are others who need to be remembered. In New England, many a summer night is filled with the wafting sounds of the Sox on radio or TV. To Curt Gowdy, Ken Coleman, Ned Martin, Jim Woods and all who have been the voices of the Sox over the years and never got to call the final big out, this is a time to remember them as well.

There is an irony in this championship season. The celebration will be loud and long, but there are edges of a wake here; one of fond memories, smiles and a tinge of sadness.

One never knows until “the moment” actually comes what the feelings will really be.

Until you watch your child being born, until you lose a loved one, until a dream comes true, you can’t be sure what it will feel like inside.

However, this championship most Sox fans really did know about. The talk of the past never was far removed from the present. The memories of all the heartbreaks really were ties that bound. The final out was an enormous exhale that took 86 years.

There will be talk of next season very soon; who stays and who goes. There will probably be at least one member of this team in a Yankee uniform next year.

Next year, Fenway Park will again be sold out for every game, fans will make pilgrimages to the yard from all over New England, and stories about this championship year will be heard in the seats for games forever.

Again, one will have to wait to see what the impact of finally winning has on this franchise and its fans. Will the demand to win grow, as it has for the Yankees, to the point of overshadowing all else, including the enjoyment of just watching a game?

Will the demand for tickets and the atmosphere of winning raise again the arguments to bring Fenway down?

I don’t think so. They are the Sox. We are the fans. Fenway is too small, crowded and sticky and there’s a World Series championship flag in center.

Everything is just fine.

Old Town native Gary Thorne is an ESPN and ABC sportscaster.