Sean McFarland took his two young sons to the celebration. They sat in the outfield, taking in the crowd from afar. "You have to come out and support the team. This is a once in a lifetime chance," said McFarland. Mc Farland, like many in the outfield, had difficulty hearing what was going on during the ceremony because of audio problems at the stadium. Even though they didn't hear exactly what was being said, the crowd cheered anyway.
In all, more than 6,500 fans showed up to support the team that defied all the odds. "You won the championship for all the underdogs all over this world," Fresno Mayor Alan Autry told the team.
Many in the crowd never made into the stadium. Instead they waited in a long line, hoping to get the players' autographs. "These guys played a hard game and they're awesome. You gotta get their autographs. These guys are just great!" said Josh Montelongo. Montelongo was one of the lucky ones. He got the players to sign a baseball he brought especially for the occasion.
The 2008 Bulldog Baseball team will go down in history. They not only brought home championship, but also made believers out of thousands. "We're going to do it again next year too. Why not? So go 'Dogs and God bless those 'Dogs and just have faith like I did and we can do it again next year," said fan Max Reinhart.
