Phillies news and rumors 5/3: Pat Burrell reveals what he told Chase Utley before World Series speech

Philadelphia Phillies Wall of Famer Pat Burrell is back in town this weekend as the San Francisco Giants will visit Citizens Bank Park for a four-game series. Burrell is one of three hitting coaches in his first year on Bob Melvin’s staff for the Giants.

Prior to heading to the visiting dugout to coach against the Phillies this weekend, Burrell joined Ruben Amaro Jr., Jim Salisbury and Todd Zolecki for a lengthy interview on “The Phillies Show” that looked back at his time in red pinstripes and also delved into his journey to becoming an MLB hitting coach. The full interview below is worth your time.

Among the most interesting questions that “Pat the Bat” was asked was whether he knew what Chase Utley was going to say in his now-iconic 2008 World Series parade speech.

“Yeah, because we got up on that stage and there was a couple of announcements and stuff and other people were speaking. He leaned over and he said ‘Do you think this is live?’ And I go, ‘Well, I’m sure it’s live at some level. I’m sure someone is recording this.’ And I said, ‘Why?’ And he goes, ‘Well, I was thinking about saying something that maybe [could get me in trouble].’ And I go, ‘Well listen, if anybody can say anything it’s you. So just go for it.’ And I didn’t know what he was going to say, but I thought it was perfect.”

Utley, of course, was short and sweet in his World Series speech. After an eloquent introduction from Harry Kalas, Utley needed just five words — one of which was NSFW — to get his point across. (There were more words after, but the five words are all anyone remembers.)

Must-Read Phillies Content

• Alec Bohm has already set a new career-high in WAR in 2024 as part of his red-hot start. Phillies Nation‘s Bailey Digh broke down what was an insane March/April for Bohm.

• The Phillies will wear their City Connect uniforms in Friday’s series opener against the Giants. It will mark the third time the polarizing uniforms have been worn in a game. Here’s an explainer on when the Phillies wear each of their five current uniforms.

• Over on Bleacher Report, I ranked the top starting pitching duos in baseball currently. Some didn’t think I had the right duo for the Phillies.
• Also from me on B/R this week, a ranking of every MLB starting lineup after the first month of the season.
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