Phil Sheridan: Phillies receive championship rings

The rings were a surprise. So were the tears that welled in the eyes of the men who received them.

As the Phillies lined the first-base line at Citizens Bank Park yesterday, they peered into the wooden boxes containing their World Series rings with the wide-eyed wonder of overgrown boys.

"They have a lot of diamonds on them," first baseman Ryan Howard said with a 14-karat glint in his eye.

"Tonight I'll probably sleep with it on," said reliever Brad Lidge, who recorded the final out of the World Series.

For a few moments, all the magic and sparkle of their championship season glinted and shone from the 103 diamonds - one representing each victory of 2008.

And the tears came.

"It exceeds any expectation I could have had," pitcher Jamie Moyer said, his voice still breaking some 20 minutes after getting the first championship ring of his 23-year career. "This whole thing allows me to reflect on my life in this game and how fortunate I've been. All the sacrifices my parents have made, my wife and children - it's very special."

"And this isn't sadness. This is happiness."

As if there could be any confusing the two on a sun-splashed day in the ballpark where the Phillies earned those rings with a victory over the Tampa Bay Rays in October. Citizens Bank Park was jammed with 44,939 fans who were treated to a wild, come-from-behind, 12-11 victory over the Atlanta Braves.

It was for the fans, Moyer said, that he led the way in taking the rings out of their handsome cases and trying them on.

"Out of respect for the fans," Moyer said, "I wanted to put it on. It's not that I could show it off, but to let them know I was proud to receive that ring. I'm proud to have been able to win a world championship in Philadelphia. I guess it was my little small gesture of being able to say thank you."

The rings were designed by a committee of seven appointed by Phillies president David Montgomery. The 103 diamonds - a total of 3.84 karats representing 92 regular-season and 11 postseason wins - were suggested by clubhouse manager Frank Coppenbarger. Each player's name and number are on one side of the 14-karat white gold piece, along with a Liberty Bell. The other side features a rendering of the ballpark with the World Series trophy emerging from it. The top features the Phillies' "P" logo in diamonds on a ruby field, ringed by the words "World Champions."

The ring, produced by Massachusetts-based Masters of Design, is gaudy enough to meet the industry standard, but stops short of being too much of a good thing.

Call it tastefully overdone.

"The rings have grown over time," said Phillies senior vice president Jerry Clothier, a member of the design committee. "You certainly want to have a certain amount of bling that's appropriate for winning a world championship."

The Phillies took the unusual step of keeping the rings a secret. None of the players got a peek before the ceremony. The ploy worked. That was evident from the Christmas-morning expressions on the normally stoic game faces of the players.

"They said they would be nice," reliever Scott Eyre said, "but this is ridiculous."

The rings arrived in a van escorted by four police officers on motorcycles. They were placed on a red-clothed table near home plate. Montgomery handed them out, beginning with retired general manager Pat Gillick.

Gillick, the 71-year-old baseball lifer who earned two championship rings with Toronto, set the tone. His face dissolved in tears as he embraced Montgomery and acknowledged the cheers of the fans.

The Phillies invited all the players and coaches who played a role in the championship season. That led to some goosebumps - Pat Burrell, clad in a dark suit, received the biggest cheer of the day - and some bumps in the road - pitcher Adam Eaton reacted to loud booing by waving and defusing the tension with a big smile.

Gillick will act as courier, delivering rings personally to those who could not attend: So Taguchi in Albuquerque, where he is playing minor-league ball for the Cubs organization, Tom Gordon in Arizona, Rudy Seanez and coach Steve Smith in California.

In addition to 37 rings for players, coaches and staff, another 275 or so will be awarded to Phillies employees. They will have a choice between the player rings, which are quite large, and a smaller version that can be worn by ordinary-size folks.

"You need a big finger to hold up this bad boy," Howard said.

Players talk about "getting a ring" as shorthand for winning a championship.

"That is why we play the game," Lidge said. "And the longer you play the game, the more it means to you. As a young player, you have respect for guys that have played a long time. Those are the guys that are telling you how valuable that ring is. So it means everything to get it."

So it made sense their joy upon receiving the actual rings echoed the boyishness of their onfield celebration upon winning the title.

Burrell slid his ring onto his right hand, turned to Howard and said, "Wow." Howard and Jimmy Rollins posed with their biceps flexed and their rings facing a TV camera.

Clothier played coy when asked the question on everyone's minds: How much did these things cost?

"They're priceless," he said. "We're going to leave it at that."

On a day the Phillies shed tears and won their first game since the World Series, that had a nice ring to it.