The Phillies spared nothing to make the pre-game ring ceremony an event to remember. The rings were delivered via a Citizens Bank van, flanked by motorcycle riding member of Philadelphia’s finest.

The ball girls removed and set up the rings on a table decorated with a Phillies-red tablecloth, while classical music blared from the stadium soundsystem. Fans stood with a level of reverence you would expect for the Pope. It was equal parts overdone and cool. But we don’t get these moments all that often in Philly, so it needs to be done right, and the Phillies did it right.

Stadium announcer Dan Baker announced key personnel and the Phillies roster before introducing World Series Game 5′s starting lineup in reverse order.

Pat Burrell received a thunderous ovation that only Cole Hamels and Jimmy Rollins were able to get even close to in terms of decibels.

Former Phillie Geoff Jenkins, recently released after one mostly underwhelming season, received a very nice ovation, despite being owed a hefty sum from the Phils for a 2009 season where he won’t suit up in the red pinstripes.

One the most odd moments of the ceremony was the absurb appearance of Adam Eaton. Here is the video below, courtesy of The Fightins:

Just prior to Eaton’s introduction, some of the 2008 Phillies who couldn’t attend were announced, including So Taguchi and Tom Gordon, who received a touch of boos, but mostly polite applause and some audible chastising by some fans to others not to boo Gordon.

Adam Eaton’s moment included little in the way of polite indifference, as the fans doused Eaton with a healthy boo.

I, for one, did not boo, preferring instead to just turn to my Dad and ask him if we were really witnessing this. It was as though he was coming back to rub our face in his awfulness.

Eaton simply had no business whatsoever attending this ceremony. He chose to leave the team during the playoff run instead of stay in Clearwater in the event he was needed for the playoffs. Clearly, Eaton had about as much a chance to pitch in the 2008 playoffs as Bruce Ruffin did, but his decision to head home says much about what Adam Eaton is made of.

It’s not Eaton’s performance alone that has caught the ire of Phillies fans. It’s his arrogance and cavalier attitude toward his performance that grates on our nerves so much.

If Adam Eaton had treated his poor performances as something more than just some minor inconvenience to him that he’ll have to make some tweaks to address, perhaps he’d be seen as a sympathetic character. If Eaton had donated some of his 2009 earnings to Philabundance or some other worthy Philly charity to acknowledge the unearned money he will be collecting in 2009, perhaps he’d be received by a more forgiving fanbase. If he didn’t say stupid shit like this, perhaps we wouldn’t boo him as he received a ring he has no business wearing:

But little went as planned for Eaton. Is he upset with the way things worked out?

“I don’t think upset is the right word,” Eaton said. “Underachieve, yeah. I wasn’t as healthy as I’d like to be. … I did have moments of success, but for whatever reason, they were short-lived. I know there’s a lot still left in my arm. A blip? Yeah. It’s a two-year blip. I plan to return to that [prior] form, and with a few tweaks here and there, I’ll be there.”

Ultimately, though, the reason Adam Eaton was booed yesterday was because he crashed the party. Phillies fans had been derided for booing the pitcher on what should have been a love fest of a day, but the shock of hearing his name announced, and seeing the smug look on his face as he emerged from the dugout was too much for folks to take. The day was about celebrating an amazing year for the Phillies, and basking in the memories of what it meant, and still means, for us as fans. For Eaton to receive the same ring as Cole Hamels, Chase Utley and Brad Lidge is insulting to every member of the team. I recognize that he receives one as a result of his contributions to the 2008 Phillies, but he should not have shown up. He should have taken his own advice regarding the parade:

Yeah, sure, I’ll go up there for the World Series. Hey, I’m up on the float. ‘Boo, [expletive] you.’ Great. Would that be any fun for anybody? No. In that regard, not sharing it with my teammates. But it was nice to see them on TV. They’re world [bleeping] champs.”

Eaton should’ve watched Wednesday’s festivities from his couch also.

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Angels’ rookie Nick Adenhart was killed in a car accident a couple of hours after an impressive first start of the season against the Oakland A’s. Adenhart was just 22 years old.

The Angels have a history of tragedy within their organization, including the death of Angels pinch hitter Chico Ruiz in February, 1972. Ruiz is best known by Phillies fans as the man who stole home on September 21, 1964 in the first game of the Phillies’ epic collapse. Frank Robinson, the Reds’ best hitter, was the the plate at the time, making Ruiz’s steal all the more remarkable. It was the only run scored in the game, and the Phillies lost 9 more in a row to gift wrap the National League pennant for the St. Louis Cardinals.