Yankees Take Manhattan

New Yorkers got the chance to honor their World Series champion New York Yankees Friday. Hundreds of thousands gathered in downtown Manhattan as the Bronx Bombers began their march through the "Canyon of Heroes."

New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani joined Yankee owner George Steinbrenner and millionaire Donald Trump along the parade route.

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Yankee staffers with the World Series trophy make their way through the parade route.

But fans reserved their biggest cheers for the players. The crowd's roar was deafening as Yankee slugger Darryl Strawberry, who was diagnosed with cancer and missed the World Series, made his way along the route in a red convertible with his wife.

"The Boss [Yankee owner George Steinbrenner] called me yesterday to tell me to get ready for the parade," Strawberry said at a public appearance Wednesday.

Minutes after the Yankees won a record 24th World Series title, the city began making plans for a huge parade Friday to honor baseball's most decorated team.

Click to see a slide show of images from the parade.

"I'm going to see if I can take off a couple of hours from work to go down and watch the parade," said Rafael Diaz, who was buying Yankees paraphernalia Thursday in Manhattan.

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Darryl Strawberry surprised fans at the victory parade.

Outside of Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, 200 people started their own street celebration after the last out was recorded in San Diego late Wednesday night. Screaming and cheering fans made as much noise as they could, while police kept a watchful eye on the crowd.

Police reported no violence on the part of jubilant Yankee fans throughout the city.

"They've been civil," said Police Captain Steve Paveglio of the fans outside the stadium. "They're just celebrating. I don't think they realize the Yankees are in California."

In 1996, when the Yankees won the last game of the best-of-7 serie at home, only a handful of fans broke the law with celebrating.

"The city has been galvanized by baseball," said Mayor Giuliani at a press conference. "This is history. There has never been a team that had a record like this."

The Empire State Building was honoring the Yankees by illuminating the top of the historic edifice in blue and white this week.

The official celebration started at 11:30 a.m. Friday on Broadway, with the parade ending in front of City Hall.

Sister Mary Marguerite Torre canceled classes for the 362 students at the school of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church in Ozone Park, Queens. Sister Marguerite, whose brother is the Yankees' manager, is arranging to take the students to the parade.

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