Phillies, 2 million fans express heartfelt joy at World Series celebration

THEY EACH had approximately 1 minute to address the crowd of 30,000-plus that filled Citizens Bank Park to celebrate the Phillies' first World Series title since 1980, 1 minute to put the entire season in perspective.

Brett Myers invoked Lou Gehrig.

Jamie Moyer invoked Martin Luther King Jr.

Chase Utley quoted everybody else in the city of Philadelphia.

"World champions," the second baseman said, his voice booming over both the stadium loudspeakers and live television and radio. "World f------ champions!"

And with that, the ballpark exploded.

It was billed as a day for a city to celebrate its champions, but it turned into a day for the champions to celebrate their city. As a teeming mass of red-clad fans lined Broad Street 10, 20, 30 deep - the city's initial estimate put the crowd at 2 million - the Phillies found themselves overwhelmed.

"These fans here, these people - I've absolutely been amazed, really," said manager Charlie Manuel, decked out in a black, pin-striped suit. "Totally unreal. I can't even explain it to you."

It started around 11 a.m. with officials from Budweiser hoisting Pat Burrell's bulldog, Elvis, onto the Clydesdales-drawn carriage that would later carry the 9-year veteran and his wife at the front of the parade.

Burrell, dressed in black with his hair slicked back, spent the next hour holed up in a SEPTA bus, chatting with police officers as fans surrounded it hoping to catch a glimpse of the longest-tenured Phillie.

The procession was supposed to last 90 minutes, but by the time the caravan rolled into Lincoln Financial Field for its next-to-last stop, close to 3 1/2 hours had elapsed.

"The parade was by far the most impressive thing I've ever been a part of," Utley said. "I heard a lot about it, I heard how much fun it was going to be, how many people were going to show up, but I never expected that."

As it turned onto Broad Street, toilet paper and ticker tape fluttered as William Penn hovered atop City Hall against a solid blue sky. They chanted for Charlie at South Street and Cole Hamels at Christian.

As Burrell passed through the intersection at Federal, the chorus went "Please Sign Pat! Please Sign Pat!"

Near Jackson, a kid with a Phillies T-shirt and a backward hat spread himself across the branches of a tree, a modern-day Zacchaeus pounding his chest while making eye contact with Brad Lidge and Scott Eyre.

They sat on the statue of Nobel laureate Guglielmo Marconi at Oregon and on the foundations of the overpass at I-76 farther south.