Note to Phillies fans - Chase Utley didn't die

A note to all Phillies fans - Chase Utley is not dead.

If you've been on social media the past few days, it's easy to see why you might have thought the Phillies second baseman had gone to meet his maker. Fans on Twitter and Instagram reacted to Utley's trade to the Dodgers with a level of grief and sadness usually reserves for the recently deceased.

A sampling:

It's as if fans have forgotten Tom Hanks's immortal advice, "There's no crying in baseball!"

Listen, Utley was an all-time great Phillies player, and as Ed Rendell wrote in the Daily News, "He was a ballplayer whose hard-nosed, blue-collar style was reflective of our city."

In fact, I'm not immune. Here's the cartoon I drew Wednesday night when his trade was official:

So the outcry and emotion when someone as beloved as Utley gets traded is understandable… to a point

I don't remember tears being shed when Jimmy Rollins was traded away, and he was arguably a more integral part to the Phillies success during the World Series years than Utley. And I doubt we'll see fans throwing themselves in front of SEPTA buses the day Ryan Howard is shipped out of town (if ever).

With injuries piling up, Utley's trade was basically a foregone conclusion at the start of the season. As recently as July fans were hoping to unload the six-time all-star World Series champ after batting less than .200 and spending six weeks on the disabled list.

So after nearly a week of mourning for the Phillies icon, let's consider wrapping it up and getting on rooting for the team we all wanted, filled with young, exciting players actually playing hard for their interim head coach.

Save your tears for next season, when Chase returns to town.