Thousands Salute Yankees at Parade

NEW YORK —  Thousands of fans lined the Canyon of Heroes for the Yankees’ third straight ticker-tape parade Monday as Manager Joe Torre hailed his players as “maybe the best team of all time.”

Mayor Rudolph Giuliani gave each Yankee a key to the city.

“Has there ever been a team better than this one?” Giuliani shouted. “The best!”

Reams of shredded paper hurled from office windows created a virtual blizzard as parade-goers--many of them skipping work or school--helped the Yankees celebrate their fourth World Series championship in five years.

Blustery winds and piles of paper created a scary scene toward the end of the parade when at least four fires erupted and quickly spread; the cause was not immediately known. Firefighters doused the flames, and there were no reports of injuries.