The Good Phight: Pat Burrell Worthy Of Appreciation

Read More: Tadahito Iguchi (2B - PHI), Pat Burrell (LF - SFG), Pedro Feliz (3B - SDP), Philadelphia Phillies

Something you know by now is that Pat Burrell is retiring, due in large part to a chronic foot injury, and due in smaller part to an assortment of other things. Something you might not know is that Burrell won two World Series rings, and owns the fourth-highest home run total in Phillies history. The leaderboard:

(1) Mike Schmidt, 548
(2) Ryan Howard, 286
(3) Del Ennis, 259
(4) Pat Burrell, 251
(5) Chuck Klein, 243

He's also tied for the 309th-highest stolen base total in Phillies history. He's tied with guys named Don Hoak and Al Maul, and he's one behind Tadahito Iguchi. Remember Tadahito Iguchi? Remember Tadahito Iguchi on the Phillies?

Phillies blog The Good Phight said its pharewell (haha!) to Burrell in November, when it became apparent that he'd probably have to retire. Quote:

His greatest moment on the field in Philadelphia was also his last -- in the seventh inning of Game Five of the 2008 World Series, Burrell rocketed a double off the left field wall for his first and only hit of the series. Pinch-runner Eric Bruntlett would eventually score on Pedro Feliz's RBI single later that inning in what would be the Series-winning run. As a fitting tribute, and a not-so-subtle farewell gesture, the Phillies allowed Burrell, accompanied by his wife and his beloved bulldog, Elvis, to lead the World Series parade down Broad Street on a Clydesdale-drawn wagon.

Here is that double:

(click on the box?)

In Burrell, baseball isn't losing a guy at his physical peak. It's losing a guy who used to be all kinds of productive, though, and it's losing a guy who until his final day was among the game's biggest characters. Burrell will probably remain the same sort of character.