Theeeee Yankees Win!!!

Everything You Need to Know About Ticker Tape Parades

Frances Martel — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 19:11:03 +0000

Congratulations: you just experienced one of the only legal ways for thousands of people to congregate in one of the world’s biggest cities to throw trash at famous sportsmen. For foreigners and non-native New Yorkers, this might seem like a bizarre (and, in any other circumstance, disrespectful) tradition, but its roots are deep in the culture of our city and its history rich with fascinating– and not so fascinating– events.

Time Magazine ran a very thorough piece chronicling the history of the ticker tape parade, which began in 1886 to celebrate the dedication of the Statue of Liberty. Predictably, the parade is reserved for special sporting occassions, major war victories or space successes, but (perhaps also predictably) the excuse to throw away some “sensitive” financial material proved too tempting to miss out on, prompting parades for mostly anyone that took the time to come visit the United States. As the American Heritage blog reports, the VIPs honored with their own ticker-tape parade include “Prince Ludovico Spado Potenziani, governor of Rome, and some whom the world wishes it could forget, such as Pierre Laval, who was premier of France when he was honored in 1931 and was shot as a traitor to France in 1945.” Fortunately for the great sanitation workers of this city, the fervor died down sometime in the 1950s, and to this day the parades are reserved almost exclusively for sporting or major political events. The Yankees, who are honored with a parade for every World Series they win, hadn’t earned one since 2000.

Andy Pettitte and Mariano Rivera Greet the Crowd!

Frances Martel — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 18:53:12 +0000

Here are some brand new shots from our WOR offices of Yankees champions Andy Pettitte and Mariano Rivera greeting the crowd. This is the fifth World Series title for both.

Share Your Videos of the Parade With Us!

Frances Martel — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 18:31:18 +0000

The video footage of today’s festivities is starting to roll in, and we’re happy to bring you some shots from our offices and interviews with fans on the scene. We will be updating these videos regularly, so make sure to update this post periodically to get the latest from the ground in Lower Manhattan. And, of course, we’d love to hear from you, too! Because sharing is caring, send us your photos or upload your videos to The NA710N, and we’ll be showcasing them as they roll in!

Dept. of Interesting Anonymous People: Do You Know This Man?

Frances Martel — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 17:56:04 +0000

Your WOR interns are intrepid and dedicated, but a little deficient in the baseball knowledge department. So we took a picture of this amazingly enthusiastic parade member, thinking it was Derek Jeter. That’s not entirely an exaggeration. Unfortunately, no one in our office– even the people who are learned about these types of things– has any clue who this outstanding cheerleader is:
Yeah, buddy, we think you’re #1, too. If this is you or you know this man, please let him know that he has a cubicle-set of fans at WOR. We’d like to talk to you! Leave us a comment or contact us somehow if you have some important information for our new investigation project.

The Marching Bands of the Ticker-Tape Parade

Frances Martel — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 17:46:02 +0000

Perhaps some of the most underappreciated people at these celebratory parades are the throngs of marching band members that work strenuously to make sure their performance goes flawless when they come out and meet you. Here are some images of various bands that came out today to celebrate.

Every Public Sanitation Worker’s Favorite Holiday

Frances Martel — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 17:35:30 +0000

And there you have it– thousands inconvenient financial reports from your organization shredded to pieces and littered across the streets of Lower Manhattan in the name of Sportsmanship. The players may be done marching, but we here at WOR aren’t done yet! We’ll be here all afternoon reporting from Broadway– and we hope you’ll help us! Send us your pictures to photos@wor710.com!

AJ Burnett and José Molina

Frances Martel — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 17:20:31 +0000

Here are some of those heroes you have all been waiting for! AJ Burnett and José Molina look up at the sky (and their fellow float-goers) as the crowd cheers on (and throws toilet paper at them– I’m told that’s a good thing).

The Best Seat in the House

Frances Martel — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 17:11:46 +0000

You may be enjoying the comforting warmth of your home heating system or the thousands of bodies squishing cheerfully into you, but many New Yorkers were fortunate enough to get the best and riskiest seat in the house: their windows:

Why so Much Talk of the Red Sox, Guys?

Frances Martel — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 16:58:01 +0000

On my epic journey from one side of Broadway to another in what Homer would surely have called a “Blockbuster Hit of the Year,” I ran into a rag-tag crowd of red hoodies shouting “Go Red Sox! Go Red Sox!” I think they may have taken the Fung Wah bus in the wrong direction, so I tried to go up to them and politely direct them in the opposite way of their certain deaths, but several policemen remedied the situation in ways I was probably not equipped to do so. And then I look out the window and see this:

It reads “something something 27th, Boston Sux.” I’m not exactly a baseball connoiseur, so maybe I’m missing something here? I thought we beat the Scranton Scrappies for World Trophy, so I’m a bit confused about why fans are bothering to even give Boston attention. Thoughts?

Have Pictures of the Yankees Celebration? Send them to The NA710N!

Frances Martel — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 16:49:22 +0000

We know you don’t just want to stare at pictures of us drenched in toilet paper! Send us photos of you or your family celebrating the Yankees win to photos@wor710.com!