Posted: Friday, October 31, 2008, 3:24 PM | 28 comments |
 

At parade, Burrell leads off
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After more than 3 hours, the 90-minute parade had reached the sports complex. I cannot imagine anything bigger, louder, or more fun. Walking along much of the route, riding along in a media bus in the later stages, the crowds were enormous and just so obviously happy. Whoever does the crowd estimates should take their best guess and then double it.

And Pat Burrell led them in.

The first Phillies presence in the parade was Burrell, along with his wife and his dog, perched on the front of a Budweiser beer wagon pulled by Clydesdales. He isn't their best player and he isn't their most-popular player, but it seems as if he has been here forever. In what might very well have been his last at-bat with the team, with free-agency looming, he banged that double off of the wall in left-centerfield in the seventh inning of Game 5, setting up the go-ahead run.

After the game, he knew it might have been  his last swing. In the clubhouse, he said, "We play in a tough-ass town to play in, and I'm proud of that. I'm proud to say I played here. I'm behind this city because of the fact that they were behind me. To be able to hand this over to him, it's going to be good...

"Who knows what's going to happen. It's going to be hard for me to walk out of this town. But ultimately, that decision is not going to be up to me."

But that is for later. What we know for sure is that the double off of the wall was not Burrell's last act. Leading them home was.
Posted by Rich Hofmann @ 3:24 PM  Permalink | 28 comments
28
Comments   
  • Comment removed.
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 5:01 PM, 10/31/2008
    Hope so much to see you here next year Pat. But, if not, best of luck, to you and thanks so much for all you've done for the Phils. You'll always be a favorite! P.S. - Love Elvis -- he's a cutie!
    — wagtails
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 5:01 PM, 10/31/2008
    The Irish Pub will miss him too
    — Tartan69
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 5:56 PM, 10/31/2008
    Thanks Pat. Sincerely. Ups and downs, I thought you handled yourself well.
    — somethingIsWrong
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 6:59 PM, 10/31/2008
    Thank you Pat, for everything!
    — mariomick
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 7:11 PM, 10/31/2008
    Glad most others feel the way I do about Pat. Maybe all the haters are taking the day off in misery :)
    — sillybilly
  • Comment removed.
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 7:51 PM, 10/31/2008
    Pat delivered big hits this year and some in the past, he is talented, I hope he stays for a 3 year deal.
    — cvs737
  • Comment removed.
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 8:17 PM, 10/31/2008
    Not a chance we sign Pat unless he gives a big home-team discount to the Phils. We still need to sign long-term deals with Howard, Hamels, Victorino & Werth. Plus a pitcher or two (or three). Howard and Hamels alone are going to break the bank. Thanks for the memories Pat, we wish you well. Get all the $$ you can before its over!!
    — adman
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 8:29 PM, 10/31/2008
    Thanks, Pat. You handled yourself with class.
    — Utopia
  • Comment removed.
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 9:03 PM, 10/31/2008
    Hey Pat, it was amazing to see you leading the parade. Thanks so much for everything. You are definitely a true "Phillie". Whatever happens, I wish you luck and if you have to go, I will miss you.:(
    — Philly Phan
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 9:15 PM, 10/31/2008
    This Phillies team proves that it takes a village!! So many unlikely heroes throughout that it was hard to tell who would come through next. It takes a talented team to make it to the playoffs, but it takes a team of character and contributions from the role players to win it. Look back at the mid-90's Yankees and notice that the role players won it in the playoffs. Then they got greedy and signed all superstars and it's been almost 10 years since they won their last title. We may never see a magical team like this ever again in Philly so we should savor every moment. World F'N Championship!!
    — Bill R4
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 9:28 PM, 10/31/2008
    How many professional players have wilted under the pressure? Do we have to name them? If Pat Burrell is back, then may he produce next year; if not, he was an everyday player on a championship team, and there have been worse things said about many people who have collected a paycheck and gone home. Ad multos annos, Pat.
    — mcmahon88


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About Rich Hofmann
Rich Hofmann arrived at the Daily News in 1980 for a job whose status was officially designated as "full-time, temporary." A senior at Penn at the time, he was hired to fill in on the copy desk during a staff illness. The notion of him covering the Eagles or being a columnist did not exist in anyone's imagination. It was supposed to be six weeks and out, but he never left. It is only one of the reasons why so many people have concerns about him as a potential house guest. Rich has blogged the postseasons of the Flyers and Eagles. E-mail Rich at hofmanr@phillynews.com

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