BOB HOPE used to be my favorite comedian, and Joe Bellino used to be my favorite football player. I'm serious. So Sunday I should have been thrilled to be within 40 yards of both. Wrong.

It all started on Tremont Street by the Common. I remembered that warm fall day 17 months ago when we had all come to heckle George Wallace, Fond memories. Today, the crowd was strongly in support of the proceedings, and people applauded with cuthusiasm as the Boston police, flag-wavers from Dedham, bands, and Young Americans for Freedom strutted up Tremont toward Government Center.

It was the long-awaited "Wake Up, America Day," and the people were discovering how easy it was to wake up, especially on a sunny, 75-degree day. It was a great day for a parade. 150,000 persons, by estimate of Boston Police, were passing up the Bruins' game to watch. At least half of them, however, were kids grooving to clowns and drums.

THE meat of the parade was, of course, the many patriotic groups with signs and flags. "Victory in Vietnam," one proclaimed. A woman sported a placard reading, "America We Love You."

The intent of this parade and rally was officially "to protest the use of violence." The organizers, who had their headquarters in Dedham, wanted to think of it as an activity which would appeal to people of varied political views. After all, even liberals oppose violence. They succeeded in attracting some sort of variety-from the Polish Freedom Fighter to as far left as Jim Nance. Nance was disrespectful enough to say that he did not feel we should have gotten into Vietnam in the first place. He felt, though, that since ?? were there now, there was no turning back.

For an hour, the parade oozed by until a trailing car with a loudspeaker advised the faithful to gather at City Hall for a rally featuring Bob Hope. Parades were one thing, and speeches quite another, especially from the point of view of five-year-olds, so the mob of 150,000 watered down to an audience of 20,000 or so at City Hall.

But these 20,000 meant business. Good Protestant-ethic phrase there. One of the "Wake Up" leaders at the microphone addressed us. "Will the crowd please move to my right," he requested. I shuddered at the thought.

Hope came on right away, and the fans went wild. He has come to represent everything that's perfect about America, the ideal citizen. Yes, Vietnam has been good to Bob. The first order of business was the presentation of a Paul Revere Bowl or something to Bob for being a great patriot. He got more of these before he left, and similar awards were given away more or less as party favors to those on the podium.

Bob launched into some jokes. "He's a scream!" a woman behind me squealed. The rest of the crowd seemed to agree and its conditioned laugh erupted at appropriate intervals. "But I want to tell you..." Hope said every time after they laughed, and I remembered the good old days of five hours a night in front of the set.

But he had a lot of serious things to say, and they were even better received than his humor. Hope mentioned the manner in which opinion was creeping from the newspaper columns to the front page. "A lot of our people are disillusioned because of this," he asserted. "But I was delighted to read the other day that Nixon was bringing another 150,000 troops home, because it does prove that we're winning!" The magic word- "winning" -and applause cut him off. But he was ready for it.

Hope knew they wanted more, and he gave it. "Ladies and gentlemen, I've been there six times, and I want to tell you that we are winning!" More, Bob. "It may be costing lives, but we're saving Southeast Asia. We're not at war; we're helping a country and the world."

Bob left, and so did a number of people. I was able to move a lot closer to the podium and to the more cloquent patriots there. Bob was clearly the hero, though. Part of the rest of the program was, in effect, a eulogy to Bob Hope, America's truest citizen. Every speaker bestowed upon certain figures the label "Great American," and no one forgot to include Bob on his list.

GENERAL Bruce E. Clark, the next speaker and the head of Freedom's Foundation of Valley Forge, did not try to amuse us. "I'm proud to have been a soldier for 43 years." Clark said. He brought a special gift: greetings from General Abrams, who is working "18-20 hours a day."

Clark pleaded for a halt to dissent that might impede our effort in Vietnam. "We shouldn't present General Abrams with problems here; he's got enough there." Clark suggested that everyone write Abrams a note that night to tell him that we were behind him. "He deserves all the help we can give him, and he doesn't deserve proclamations from the State of Massachusetts stating that Massachusetts boys won't fight!!" They went crazy when he said that. It took backbone to say it, and the people appreciated backbone.

But even as the General was seeking our help, a youth was causing trouble in the crowd. The kid was standing there with a raised fist. Heads turned, even though there was no noise. "I wish someone would kick him in the shins." a woman near me said to her friend. There were even signs claiming that napalm was violence, etc.