BOSTON -- The World Champion Boston Red Sox returned from their World Series win in Denver Monday, as the city prepared for a rally to celebrate baseball's champions.

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The team touched down at Logan International Airport at 4:20 p.m. while fans gathered outside Fenway Park to welcome the players and coaches under a new "2007 World Series Champions" banner that was raised outside the ballpark.

Fans waved and cheered as the team arrived on buses at Fenway. Red Sox owners John Henry and Tom Warner got off the bus, held up the World Series trophy to the delight of screaming fans. Slugger David Ortiz took the trophy and held in the air with one hand and held up two fingers with his other for the two World Series wins since 2004.

"It's always special. Everyone knows how hard it is to get there," Sox pitcher Tim Wakefield said. "From day one of spring training our goal was to go out and win the World Series, and we accomplished it. It never gets old. We had such a great time (at the parade) in 2004."

Some fans cut class and skipped out of work in the crowd for hours before the team arrived.

"We figured we had a better chance of getting a handshake today than at the rally tomorrow," one fan said.

"I surprised them, picked them up from the bus and said, 'You don't know where we are going, but we are going somewhere fun,' and I just brought them out here," another fan said.

Earlier Monday, Mayor Thomas Menino and the Boston Red Sox announced plans for a rolling rally to celebrate the victory.

"The Boston Red Sox have won the World Series for the second time in four years, and it was a spectacular victory," Menino said. "I want to join all of Red Sox Nation in congratulating our team on this amazing achievement. We will celebrate our World Champion team (Tuesday) with a rolling rally through the streets of Boston."

The rally will begin at Fenway Park at noon on Tuesday. The players will ride on World War II-era amphibious duck boats and will take the same route as the 2004 championship parade, except they won't go into the Charles River.

The rally will feature special guests the Dropkick Murphys performing their hit songs and pitcher Jonathan Papelbon doing his celebratory dance.

Menino said that he would have preferred a weekend parade, but the players wanted it during the week so that they can start their vacations this weekend.

"All of these ballplayers want to go home and be with their families and have some vacation time, so we respect them for that," Menino said.

Meanwhile, the Old North Church will shine two lanterns from its steeple during the rolling rally. It was April 18, 1775, when the Old North lit two signal lanterns as a warning from Paul Revere. British troops were marching to Lexington and Concord to arrest John Hancock and Sam Adams and seize the Colonials' ammunition.