Spirits Remain High for 12,000 While It Rains on Reds’ Parade

Capping a weekend-long celebration that was 14 years in the making, baseball fans brought umbrellas and brooms to Fountain Square for a rally Monday to honor the World Series champion Cincinnati Reds.

Despite a steady rain, more than 12,000 jammed the downtown square to welcome the Reds, who arrived in convertibles for their season farewell after sweeping the Oakland A’s.

“I don’t care how wet it is, it’s a beautiful day,” said Edith Staub, who eschewed umbrella and slicker.

Police spokesman Lt. Gary Glazier estimated the crowd at 12,000 to 15,000 for the noontime celebration. More stood along the five-block parade route to the square.

By the time the players arrived, the sound man had been through Queen’s “We Are the Champions,” “Can’t Touch This,” the rap song that became the unofficial song of the Reds, and “Reds Rap,” featuring several Reds players, twice.

Manager Lou Piniella, the first manager to sweep a World Series in his first year with a team, attributed the championship to “hard work, dedication and a will to win.”