Crowds roar, confetti falls as NYC fetes Yankees

NEW YORK — Crowds roared, church bells rang and streams of paper rained down on Broadway as the New York Yankees celebrated their 27th championship Friday in a way only this city can, with a parade up the Canyon of Heroes.

The players, joined by a few celebrity fans and Yankees of the past, drank it all in as they rode on floats and double-decker buses through Manhattan’s financial district.

It has been years since the city used actual ticker-tape to celebrate its World Series wins, but the experience was still authentic to the many thousands who crammed the sidewalks along the three-quarter-mile parade route near Wall Street.

"I love it!" said city sanitation worker John Freeman, as he raked up confetti and toilet paper rolls thrown from skyscrapers.

Whole families skipped work and school to be there. Players recorded the crowd with their cameras as they rode to a second celebration at City Hall, where the mayor presented the team with keys to the city.

Shortstop Derek Jeter carried the trophy, hoisting it high above his head while the crowd screamed and "We are the Champions" blasted on loudspeakers.

"It’s been too long, hasn’t it?" he told the crowd, a reference to the team’s eight-year absence from the top of the sport. "It feels good to be back."

Fans and players brimming with classic New York confidence let it be known that they didn’t plan to relinquish their title anytime soon.

The crowd at City Hall chanted "28." Manager Joe Girardi said he had already talked on the phone with George Steinbrenner about not letting up next year.

"He told me this morning ... the only thing greater than this celebration is doing it two years in a row," Girardi said. "So he asked me to remind everyone, pitchers and catchers report in 96 days. Be ready to defend it."

Brooklyn native Jay-Z capped the celebration with a performance of his song "Empire State of Mind."

Yankees fans may be used to winning, but that didn’t make the day any less special for the multitudes along the parade route — especially children living a championship for the first time.

"This is an experience of a lifetime," said Nicole Orrico, who let her fifth-grade daughter, Koranda, skip school to attend. "You have to mix life with learning."

The Yankees beat the defending champion Philadelphia Phillies to win the best-of-seven series in six games. The title was the team’s first since beating the crosstown Mets in the 2000 "Subway Series," and came during the first season of the new $1.5 billion Yankee Stadium.

"There’s no better way to inaugurate a new stadium," said Michael Rheubottom, a city jail guard, who attended with his 13-year-old son, Jason. "This is the house that Jeter built. We don’t even remember the house that Ruth built."

Pitcher Mariano Rivera, who waved a Panamanian flag as he rode in the parade, called the outpouring of support "beautiful."

"The city of New York, the fans ... you can’t put it into words. It’s magnificent," he said.

Alex Rodriguez, finally free of all the criticism that had been heaped upon him for failing to win a championship, wore a black hat and a wide smile.

"We waited a long time for this," he said. "I’ve never seen so many people collected in one place. Excitement. It just seems like they were as hungry as we were. The fans really wanted this. They were hungry."

There was one notable absence: Steinbrenner. "The Boss" has made few public appearances since his health deteriorated in recent years. He attended the first two games against the Phillies, returning to the new Yankee Stadium for the first time since opening day.

His son, Hal, took over the day-to-day operations of the team about a year ago.

"A magical day," Hal Steinbrenner said. "New York just has the best fans in the world."

Yankee greats of the past, including Yogi Berra and Reggie Jackson, were on hand for the celebration. Jackson urged the players to enjoy the experience, noting that as players, "You never know if it’ll happen again."

Some fans were more confident the trophy would be back soon enough on lower Broadway — the narrow Canyon of Heroes that has seen some 200 ticker-tape parades for astronauts, foreign leaders, sports champions and five-star generals.

"We’re going for 28, baby," said Ulysses Coleman, of Manhattan. "Next year it’s ours, it’s in the bag."

Damon wants to return, will explore other options

NEW YORK — Johnny Damon soaked it all in as he shared a float with first-timers Nick Swisher and Jerry Hairston Jr. for the New York Yankees’ championship parade through the Canyon of Heroes on Friday.

The whole scene made him a little wistful.

"It’s good he got to do it in his first year here," Damon said as the energetic Swisher bounced around beside him after the parade finished in the shadow of City Hall. "It took me my fourth and possibly final year. I am so overjoyed because you don’t know how many times you get this opportunity."

Damon helped the Red Sox win the World Series in 2004 and played one more season in Boston before bolting for a $52 million, four-year contract with New York. That deal is up now and the parade is over, leaving the outfielder’s future as one of the major questions facing the champs heading into the offseason.

"I think that’s just the reality of our game," slugger Alex Rodriguez said. "You hope obviously as many guys come back as possible."

World Series MVP Hideki Matsui and left-hander Andy Pettitte, who won the clinching game in each playoff series, also are eligible for free agency. The fate of Matsui and Damon could be linked if New York decides to add another big bat in the offseason, and both have said they want to come back.

"At this point right now, I’d like to just take a little break and just let my body rest," Matsui said through an interpreter, after his creaky knees limited him to DH duties this year. "I think at some point we’ll pick up some of the offseason topics that need to be worked out and go from there."

The 37-year-old Pettitte is deciding whether to retire or return for a 16th major league season to try for a sixth World Series ring.

Damon, who turned 36 Thursday, tied a career high with 24 homers this season and hit .281 with nine RBIs in the playoffs. He also had one of the postseason’s most memorable plays, stealing second and third on one pitch during New York’s three-run rally in the ninth inning of Game 4 against the Phillies.

"Obviously, I’m going to have a lot of options," Damon said, "and I think what it comes down to is what kind of option the Yankees want to give me or not give me. Why wouldn’t I want to come back? We have the best owners in baseball. We have the best team. We have the most revenue and the biggest payroll, so who wouldn’t want to be part of the Yankee tradition? I would like to continue mine and I feel like I can come back and do a great job again."

Damon left New York’s clinching Game 6 victory Wednesday night with a strained right calf but he called it "probably a week thing" after participating in the parade.

His injury wasn’t the only one overshadowed by the World Series win. After the Yankees wrapped up their 27th title, closer Mariano Rivera said he tweaked his ribs in the ALCS against the Angels, with his ailing side bothering him for the rest of the playoffs.

"It don’t matter now," Rivera said when asked Friday about how much pain he was in on the mound. "It’s over. Thank God it’s over. It was manageable."

Rivera tossed 5 1-3 scoreless innings over four appearances in the Series, recording two saves. He had five saves in five opportunities with a 0.56 ERA in the postseason, just adding to his reputation as a big-game pitcher.

"He did what we needed him to do," reliever Joba Chamberlain said.

A handful of players started cleaning out their lockers at Yankee Stadium after the parade was finished. The name plates had been removed and the carpet was clean after it was soaked with champagne during the celebration after Game 6.

A.J. Burnett gave hugs to Chamberlain and Chien-Ming Wang. Eric Hinske took his folding chair with the Yankee Stadium inaugural season logo.

"It’s definitely a day to celebrate and enjoy," captain Derek Jeter said.

-- Jay Cohen