SAN FRANCISCO -- On another one of those classic golden San Francisco days with nary a cloud in the sky nor hint of regret in the air, the key to the city and the home plate he stepped upon after hitting his 756th home run just a tad more than two weeks ago were given to Giants slugger Barry Bonds.

It was Bonds Day on Friday at high noon in the downtown plaza that sits just in front of the old ferry terminal. And as the clock tower struck one and Bonds thanked another in a series of hometown crowds for its support, many of the thousands on hand raised a finger skyward and chanted "one more year, one more year."

"I'm with you," said Bonds, who has often said he intends to play baseball again somewhere next season, preferably for the Giants.

Whether the festivities punctuated or ended Bonds' 15-year era as a Giant remains to be seen.

"That [decision] will have to wait until October," Peter Magowan, the team's president and managing general partner, said afterwards outside AT&T Park, where Bonds slipped past Hank Aaron into first place on the all-time homer list with one out in the fifth inning against Nationals left-hander Mike Bacsik on Aug. 7.

Bonds has hit four homers since and was nestled at 760 heading into Friday night's home game against the Brewers, who unlike the Giants are still struggling to earn a playoff spot with little more than five weeks to go in the season.

Bonds is eyeing 800 homers, 3,000 hits and 2,000 RBIs and if it was up to him, he'd do it all in a Giants uniform. He's currently 77 hits and 10 RBIs away from those two mercurial marks.

And it was obvious that fans gathered in the Justin Herman Plaza on Friday were trying to cling to the moment.

"I'm glad that he did it [broke the record] and it's over," said William H. Kelley, a long-time fan from San Francisco, sporting a scraggly grey beard. "I hope he comes back, but he probably won't."

"We'd really miss him," said Chris Wertz, who along with her daughter, Laura, were feted on the field by Bonds earlier in the season and wanted to be there on Friday to commemorate the occasion of his big day. "But we love our Giants. We're always going to root for our Giants no matter what."

It was a day for the black and orange. Magowan and Mayor Gavin Newsom even wore orange ties. When orange snippets of confetti were released into the breeze, drifting off the bay at the end of the ceremony, some of it was carried down the Embarcadero toward the nearly 8-year-old ballpark where the Giants play and Bonds has hit most of his milestone homers.

There were free "Barry Bonds Day" buttons to commemorate the event, plus free-flowing hot dogs, popcorn, peanuts and Cracker Jacks, among other tasty treats.

Bonds was joined by his immediate family, his current teammates, the entire Giants brain trust, two former San Francisco mayors and enough politicos to stage a fund-raiser. The three Willies were in attendance: Willie Mays -- Bonds' godfather -- Willie McCovey and Willie Brown, one of those former San Francisco mayors. So was George Shultz, the former secretary of state under President Ronald Reagan.

Speaking for his teammates, Omar Vizquel said he was proud to have played the last three seasons with Bonds.

"Shoes are made to walk, airplanes are made to fly and Barry Bonds was made to hit home runs," said Vizquel.

But the shortstop didn't leave it there.

"I mean, how many people can say that they take a shower with Barry Bonds?" said Vizquel, who earned a huge round of laughs.

The one-liner was picked up by Mayor Newsom, who led his remarks, thusly: "I'm still trying to get that picture of Omar and Barry out of my mind. You know, in San Francisco that might mean something a little different."

Bonds also didn't let the Vizquel line rest.

"I want to thank my teammates very, very much for being here and supporting me," Bonds said. "That means a lot for a player to have his teammates behind him. You guys' support through this record was unbelievable. And you know, Omar, it was a pleasure taking a shower with you, too."

Larry Baer, the team's vice president, presented the famous home plate to Bonds, although he had manager Bruce Bochy hold it.

"Bruce is really upset at me," Baer said. "Home plate is heavy and I made him stand there and do his weight-lifting exercises."

Newsom offered Bonds the key to the city and county, saying that creating a day for Bonds and naming the month of August in honor of Bonds "just wasn't enough." Bonds was suitably impressed receiving an honor that is usually reserved for visiting dignitaries.

"Back to the key thing," said Bonds, who grew up in nearby San Carlos, Calif., and calls San Francisco home. "We, the San Franciscan people here, we've always had the key to this city."

As one would expect, Bonds held the crowd in the palm of his hand.

"I'm going to let you fans and the people of San Francisco know something," he said. "Love has given me the strength [to set the record]. You the fans, the city of San Francisco, are the reasons I am the player I am today -- because of all of you. And I thank you. I just hope I'm able to inspire some of you kids who are here today. I hope that there's a child [out there] I've inspired to shatter my record here in San Francisco."

And with that, fireworks were discharged and that orange confetti was sent swirling in the air, perhaps signaling the end of another era -- or perhaps not.