The San Francisco Giants’ World Series Championship celebration outside City Hall today gave the city’s favorite baseball players a chance to talk directly to their fans.
Among the crowd favorites were Hunter Pence, Tim Hudson, Jay Peevey, Buster Posey, Santiago Cassilla, Pablo Sandoval, Madison Bumgarner and Tim Lincecum.
The thousands who showed up at Civic Center Plaza today despite the rain also applauded Giants manager Bruce Bochy.
San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee bragged about the team, saying how proud he was to have such a world-class team in San Francisco.
“We all feel a little taller today,” Lee said.
He congratulated Pablo Sandoval, known to adoring fans as Panda, for his amazing post-season performance.
“We had hit after hit from panda,” Lee said, screaming with enthusiasm.
To Bumgarner, Lee said “you turned baseball upside down” and asked the crowd, “Is mad bum a man or a machine?”
The crowd responded with cheers and applause.
Giants president and chief executive Larry Baer made an emotional speech to the players and the fans.
Baer said that as corny as it may sound, love is “what makes all this work.”
“We had each other’s backs,” Baer said.
As Giants general manager Brian Sabean came onto the stage, the cheer overtook his speech with the chant, “Please Sign Pablo,” referencing the fact that Sandoval has not yet been signed to the Giants for the upcoming season.
Many of the Giants’ key players had a chance to address the crowd, including Sandoval.
Bumgarner, in his southern drawl, told the crowd, “There’s absolutely no way we’d be out here without you.”
The ceremony closed with a musical performance by the San Francisco band Train and confetti shooting high into the air and drifting down around City Hall.
Hannah Albarzi, Bay City News
