If the Red Sox won 117 games this year — thereby breaking the MLB 162-game regular season record — and then lost in the bottom of the ninth of game seven of the World Series? It would almost make suffering through the season worth it.

That idea just came to me when I read this story:

Red Sox Stuff Heads To Florida

At around 10 a.m. this morning, the Red Sox’ truck left Yawkey Way headed for Fort Myers, Florida.Nearly 100 people turned out for the event, fervently cheering at the glimpse of bags, gear and… mouthwash!?

“All the uniforms, mouthwash, everything for the bathrooms, exercise equipment, lots of luggage,” said Hartz [the truck driver].

The crowd wasn’t just excited to see mouthwash and toilet paper. On a chilly morning, just the glimpse of palm trees, even a picture painted on the side of a trailer, was worth braving the weather.

“Why the heck not?” [said] Red Sox super fan Kelly O’Connor of Arlington, Mass., when asked why she came out with her camera on a chilly morning. “Have a nice day, stand here in the cold and look at palm trees on the truck and think, ‘I can’t wait till this starts, I can’t wait till this starts.’”    

Boston.com photo essay here.