More than one million people packed the streets of New York City Monday for a joyous tribute to the World Series champions, the New York Yankees.

It's the third year in a row the city has saluted the Yankees for winning the series. It's also the fourth time in five years the Yankees, along with several celebrities, have paraded up Broadway from Battery Park to the steps of City Hall in lower Manhattan, in front of thousands of delirious fans.

``I got here at 6 a.m., and I'm not crazy,'' said Robert Schaeffer, 54, of the Bronx. ``It's a little cold but it's worth it.''

There were some problems when smoke and flames erupted in the piles of paper left behind after the parade. High winds pushed the flames through the trash and filled Broadway with smoke. It's believed the fires were caused by smokers discarding cigarette butts into the waste paper.

No one was injured.

Reams of shredded paper hurled from office windows created a virtual blizzard as the parade kicked off shortly after noon. Grand Marshal Yogi Berra waved from a 1952 Chrysler convertible while a grinning Mayor Rudolph Giuliani joined Yankees manager Joe Torre on the trophy float.

Thousands crowded the parade route along lower Broadway hours before the noon starting time. Many were skipping school or work.

``We called the school from here and they know who the hooky mothers are,'' said Donna Toscano of Wyckoff, N.J., with her friend Lori Cooke and their four young children. ``It doesn't matter because our principal is a Yankees fan.''

After the parade, New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, an avid Yankees fan, will present the team with keys to the city.