Giants Parade 2014: Top Moments and Photos from World Series Celebration

Not even literal raining on a parade could damper the celebration in San Francisco for the world champion Giants on Friday.

Thousands of fans packed the streets of the city to see the players ride on double-decker tour buses and open-backed trucks on a rainy afternoon.

It may have been the third World Series in five years, but pitcher Ryan Vogelsong believed it was the best parade, via Jill Tucker, Sam Whiting, Hamed Aleaziz and Erin Allday of the San Francisco Chronicle, “I didn’t think we could have a better parade than last time, but it looks like we did it.”

Eric Risberg/Associated Press

The buses and trucks allowed fans to see the players better, but the star attractions were the three World Series trophies (2010, 2012 and 2014) that brought up the rear with manager Bruce Bochy.

What’s more, World Series MVP Madison Bumgarner had a truck all to himself so he could show off that fresh MVP hardware.

Eric Risberg/Associated Press

Perhaps the most memorable moments of the entire parade took place right in the beginning when Tim Lincecum had to jump off the bus and make his way through the crowd to find the restroom and a number of celebrities appeared.

Among those in attendance were Journey frontman Steve Perry, members of Metallica and Barry Bonds.

Eric Risberg/Associated Press

The parade eventually ended at Civic Center Plaza, where a number of players addressed the crowd and Mayor Ed Lee awarded the team with a key to the city. While Bumgarner and Pablo Sandoval spoke, Hunter Pence made a mark on the celebration like only he could by leading fans in boisterous chants and cheers.

Here is a look at some of the top pictures from the parade. 

KCBS 740 AM/106.9 FM gave fans a glimpse at the route:

SF Giants on CSN showed the star of the day—the actual trophy:

NBC Bay Area captured a tender moment, while the San Francisco Chronicle shared Buster Posey in a moment of triumph:

There were plenty of pandas in attendance on Friday, including this panda float that 7x7 passed along:

As for the celebrities, NBC Bay Area had Bonds, while the team’s official Twitter account noted that wrestler Daniel Bryan and commentator Jon Miller had some fun:

The defining theme of the day outside of the actual celebration was the weather conditions. There may have been more fans in attendance if the sun was out all day, but the streets were still lined with supporters.

Terry McSweeney of NBC Bay Area was there to capture the fans in the rain:

Part of the fun of having an MVP named Bumgarner is the giveaway possibilities. Raj Mathai of NBC Bay Area gave fans a glimpse of one amusing freebie in particular:

The grand finale of the celebration was at Civic Center Plaza. Sal Castaneda of KTVU-TV and NBC Bay Area had some pictures there:

Adam Duvall summarized it best:

Now that the parade and World Series are in the rearview mirror, the Giants will turn their attention to the offseason.

Sandoval, Jake Peavy, Vogelsong and Sergio Romo are all free agents, but Sandoval’s name stands out the most. Between the panda suits, his clutch postseason performances and his overall popularity, it would be difficult to imagine the Giants without him.

The fans were even chanting his name asking him to stay during the end of the parade. 

Regardless of the pending free agency for some of the marquee names and the decisions that will need to be made, Friday was a day of celebration.

The Giants certainly earned it.

Follow me on Twitter:

Follow @ScottPolacek