In 1987, Minnesota Twins fans waved white snot-rags called "Homer Hankies," helping their team to a World Series victory. (This worked again in '91, though not so well the last few postseasons.)

In 1988, everybody wanted to cash in on the concept of "wavin' stuff."

While at Fenway Park that year, at least on one of the days I was there (could've been day one of Morgan's Magic, a doubleheader, I know I was there that day), a dude could be seen on Yawkey Way selling what was nothing more than a red sock on a stick.

"Get your Sawx Suppawtas here! It worked in Minnesota, now cheer on the Sawx with Sawx Suppawtas!"

No one was buying.

So that's your answer to the Sox Supporters quiz. If anyone can ever vouch for this, besides Pat, who was there that day, well, that'd be funny.

This brings back another memory of mine from those awkward years (they're not awkward now?) when I was around twelve years old. I was big on ordering Red Sox stuff from catalogs I'd get in the mail then. (I'm not now?) One of the things I bought was a pair of Red Sox boxer shorts. This was way before the boxer shorts revolution, mind you. Hey, Boxer Revolution. Anyway, I got the shorts, and I thought they were just that, shorts. With the Red Sox logo splashed all over them. So I'd wear them everywhere, as if they were shorts. I didn't know what boxer shorts were. I was still in tighty whiteys, I definitely didn't know there was any other kind of underwear. I'll never forget hearing a guy outside Fenway saying, "Check it out, Red Sawx bawxaz!" Little did I know he was making fun of my sheltered ass. It wasn't until this total dick named Tom asked me at school one day, "Why are you wearing underwear?" that I realized that I was doing exactly that. That kid was a little too into Van Hagar, though, so what gave him the right to say anything to anybody?

Then, of course, years later, all I'd see were people wearing boxer shorts around. Just another trend started by yours truly, Fred Garvin.