by Matt Harrington

SAN FRANCISCO–When you remember the 2014 San Francisco Giants championship parade you always will remember game seven and the way they put it away. What a sight it was seeing those floats with Giant players on them going down Market Street in downtown San Francisco in the pouring rain on Friday afternoon. It took a team effort of some 40 various players during the season to make this happen.

Three World Series titles in five years and it still felt like the very first world championship parade number one, there were tons of people out there wearing orange and black. There were a lot of businesses closed down because a lot of employees caught the Orange and Black Flu and also a lot of businesses closed their doors on Market Street because of the over flowing crowds who just wanted to stay in the restaurants and retail stores just to stay out of the rain.

It was amazing to see someone like Pablo Sandoval out there who might not be back with the Giants depending on how free agency turns out. This parade gave a chance for everyone to celebrate everyone who was involved in making these playoffs and World Series a success. It really takes guys one through 25 to get the job done. It takes every man, every manager and it was a great chance for all the fans to go out there and show their appreciation.

Baseball is a war of attrition it’s fitting to have a parade come right down Market Street with thousands of fans yelling their lungs out. There is a lot you have to say about rookie Joe Panik who played second base like an old veteran. The defense of Panik and the double play he started in game seven with that diving stop he made.

Pitcher Madison Bumgarner was lights out pitching but it was the defense that kept Bumgarner in those games and Panik to come in and play like a veteran and performing the daily duties of second base and hitting in that number two hole for a World Series champion. Panik echoes another Giants great catcher Buster Posey when he was a rookie he won the World Series in 2012.Not to put too much pressure on a player like Panik he already followed that path of Posey.

The issue of Sandoval there are a lot of clubs that took notice of him and he’s up for a heavy pay day and he might forgo San Francisco and play elsewhere where he might play for some big dollars. The question is whether he’s willing to take a hometown discount and stay in San Francisco, he did struggle earlier in the season but he came on strong and in October he came to hit.

The Giants would be foolish not to break the bank as he’s a huge commodity, he’s huge with the fans and the community. The whole Panda thing is a big part of the Giants and he’s right up there with Bumgarner, Matt Cain, Tim Lincecum, and Hunter Pence whose the face of the franchise. All in all it was great for the thousands who braved the rain on Friday afternoon and who got to celebrate their heroes on Market Street.

Matt Harrington is a fill in reporter covering Giants baseball for http://www.sportsradioservice.com

photo credit: sf gate