San Francisco Giants pitcher Sergio Romo rides in a car during the San Francisco Giants World Series victory parade, Wednesday, October 31, 2012, in San Francisco. (Photo: AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
A Victory Parade in San Francisco!
Giants celebrate World Series win with tens of thousands of people
For Halloween this year, San Francisco got one big treat — a World Series victory parade!
The San Francisco Giants won the 2012 World Series by sweeping the Detroit Tigers in four games. It was the second world championship for the Giants in three years. The team won the World Series in 2010, too.
Tens of thousands of people packed the streets of San Francisco to celebrate the Giants latest championship. Almost everyone was adorned with orange and black gear, panda hats, and brooms. Kids skipped school for the day just to celebrate the World Series win. But the crowd wasn't just people — one woman brought her cat to join in on the festivities.
And since the parade happened on All Hallow's Eve, many people came to the party in costume. Some kids (and some adults) dressed up as their favorite Giants players.
One newscaster reported that something unique to this parade was the amount of new, younger faces at the celebration. Because of their long-awaited championship in 2010, an older crowd of people who had been waiting all their lives for this moment occupied the parade. This year, a younger generation ranging from babies to teenagers flocked the orange-and-black party. The young ones followed the Giants win after win, game after game to pronounce themselves as true Giants' fans.
The parade began at the foot of Market Street, where Giants players and their families each in a different car began the drive up to San Francisco City Hall. At City Hall, the players and the Giants committee were commemorated and publicly recognized as the best team of the year.
The not-so-formal ceremony was introduced with some dancing of the popular Korean hit "Gangnam Style" and a local favorite, the classic "San Francisco (Open Your Golden Gate)," by the cast of the Beach Blanket Babylon. After each player was introduced, the mayor of San Francisco, Ed Lee, awarded a key to the city and his first ever golden broom to honor the sweep.
"I give the first of many, I hope: a broom to the city, the first ever!" Mayor Lee said. The crowd roared with laughter.
The celebration then calmed down a bit as VIPs such as manager Bruce Bochy and Giants president Larry Baer gave inspirational speeches.
"In 2010, we characterized the club as misfits that came together and got it done," Bochy told the crowd. "I thank you for always being there, for never giving up. Thank you for showing up wherever we've been and making this one of the greatest moments of my life."
But the quiet didn't last long. The heightened moment of triumph was really profound when right fielder Hunter Pence explained the secret to their secret to their wins. He introduced the slow-clap pep chant with his teammates circling around the podium, too excited to sit down.
The atmosphere of city love, pride, and togetherness was almost tangible. You couldn't help but to smile.
As the procession ended, Tony Bennett sang the classic "I Left My Heart in San Francisco" and one-and-a-half tons of orange and black confetti clustered blocks and blocks of San Francisco.
Halloween 2012 will be a day San Franciscans remember for a long time.
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