With Pat Burrell's departure to the Tampa Bay Rays this week, we're truly seeing the end of an era for the Philadelphia Phillies.  Ever since the day he was picked first overall in the amateur draft in 1998, Burrell was something of a blank slate on which fans and the team could project their neuroses and expectations.

After the J.D. Drew Troubles in 1997, the Phillies badly needed to make a statement, as a claim to legitimacy if not a gesture toward playing winning baseball.  Burrell -- the University of Miami slugging legend -- was that statement.  The Drew Drama inflicted some serious wounds on the team's psyche.  It often seemed like Burrell, probably unfairly, was expected to fix all that.

And it wasn't fair.  I always felt like the Phillies braintrust, be it Monty, Wade, Gillick, Schmidt, or their collective G. Gordon Liddy Dallas Green, always kind of resented Burrell for not living up to his "first pick potential."  Yeah, he wasn't Chipper Jones or Ken Griffey, Jr. ... but he wasn't Shawn Abner or Matt Bush, either.  It was a classic case of letting perfect be the enemy of good.  Burrell wasn't a perfect player, but he was very, very good and very reliable.

He loved Philadelphia.  Loved it.  How many professional athletes can you say that about?  He took endless shit from the fans and the press and rarely complained.  And the Phillies repaid that loyalty without even a good faith offer of a new contract, opting instead for the older, left-handed version of Burrell in Raul Ibanez.

It's been a sad week, I'm just glad that our last memory of Pat will be seeing him on the carriage with his dog, Elvis*, leading that parade down Broad Street.

Thank you, Pat.  And good luck with the Rays.

* My wife made me put this part in.  I think she'll miss that dog almost as much as she'll miss Pat.

UPDATE: Thank you for all the excellent entries.  I will read them all and make my decision over the next couple of days; peyote and Captain Beefheart's Doc at the Radar Station may be utilized as emotional purifying agents.

Let's face it: Santa's a creep.  Slave labor, creeping down your chimney like a Chris Hansen suspect.  And: He didn't get you what you wanted most: The 8-disc 2008 Philadelphia Phillies World Series DVD set, from A&E Home Video.

via shop.aetv.com

I have my copy, and it's dynamite.  Full versions of the television broadcast of all five World Series games, plus Games 4 and 5 of the NLCS, plus a bonus disc containing 2008 season highlights.  It's a must-have; Championships don't come our way very often.

Now you can WIN YOUR OWN COPY.  We have ONE copy to give away, and it can be yours!

How?

Tell us, in 50 words OR LESS, why you deserve this set.  Submit entries in the Comments to this story.  Be creative, be truthful, be funny, be maudlin.  But be prompt: Entries must be received by 12 noon on Monday, January 5, 2009.

Judging will be entirely subjective and at my whim.

Good luck to all!

This may only be of significant interest to law-talkin' guys like myself.  Nonetheless...

William S. Stevens, the University of Pennsylvania Law School alum who wrote the famous law review note comparing the evolution of the common law with that of baseball's infield fly rule, has died of a heart attack at age 60.

Our condolences to his friends and family.

ESPN is reporting that the Phillies have come to terms with Seattle Mariners left fielder Raul Ibanez on a 3 year deal worth $30 million.  The Pat Burrell Era has officially come to a close.

Three years is about what I was expecting, $30MM is a bit less than I was expecting so that's good I guess.  All in all though I'm not terribly excited: Ibanez's defense is poor, and he's a lefty hitter in a lineup where the best remaining right handed hitter is Jayson Werth.  Oh, and they lose their first round draft pick too.  They could've had Adam Dunn -- more productive, younger -- and not lost the pick.

Hey, Flags Fly Forever.