New Yorkers turned out in droves today to cheer the World Series champion Yankees as a ticker-tape parade made its way through the canyons of Lower Manhattan. Manager Joe Girardi received a key to the city at a City Hall ceremony, Series MVP Hideki Matsui thanked the fans over and over—in English—and Jay-Z joined Alex Rodriguez on a float. "I've never seen so many people collected in one place," said A-Rod, who won his first title in his 15th big-league season. "I've waited a long time for this." (More 2009 World Series stories.)