'No one deserves it as much': Utley inducted into Phillies Wall of Fame

PHILADELPHIA -- Chase Utley, you are a Wall of Famer.

That became official on Friday night, when the Phillies inducted the legendary second baseman into their Toyota Wall of Fame in a special on-field ceremony -- one that was delayed approximately 90 minutes by inclement weather -- prior to the club's series opener against the Blue Jays at Citizens Bank Park.

The festivities took place just two days shy of the 20-year anniversary of Harry Kalas declaring: "Chase Utley, you are the man!"

That iconic call came after Utley raced around to score from second base on Ryan Howard’s routine groundout back to the pitcher. That was just one of the many plays featured on the highlight package shown on Phanavision before Utley stepped to the podium.

There was also the grand slam for his first career hit. His iconic pump-fake play from Game 5 of the 2008 World Series. His 35-game hitting streak. And a few of his seven career World Series home runs.

And, of course, a clip from his legendary speech at the 2008 championship parade. That speech -- one remembered for those three unforgettable words ("World [bleeping] champions") -- lasted less than a minute.

On Friday night, though, the typically reserved Utley addressed a packed ballpark for exactly 14 minutes.

Safe to say it was the longest speech he's ever given?

"By far," Utley said afterward.

He had a lot of people to thank, from his family to the countless former teammates in attendance to the other Wall of Famers seated behind him to the fans.

Utley addressed many of his family members individually throughout his speech.

"I hope some day you understand what this organization and this city has meant to our family," Utley said to his sons, Ben and Max, before turning his attention to his wife. "... Jen, thank you for joining me on this ride. Thank you for the occasional kick in the ass. And thank you for taking this obsession of mine and turning it into your life."

Utley's parents, Dave and Terrell, have been there every step of the way -- and Friday was no different.

"Mom, thank you for giving me that confidence that I didn't necessarily deserve at an early age," he said. "And dad, thank you for making sure that confidence did not turn into arrogance."

• The Man: Chase Utley's top 10 moments

Of course, Utley also had the Philadelphia faithful to keep him in check.

"To me, this city is about passion, it's about emotion, it's about toughness. But most of all, it's about winning," Utley said. "For 13 years, I tried to play the game that this city expects us to play -- hard, honest, no short cuts, no excuses. And you let me know every night if I was doing my job. That's what I love most about this city."

That was never really a question for Utley. A six-time All-Star and four-time Silver Slugger Award winner, Utley is widely regarded as one of the hardest-working players this franchise has ever seen.

"As far as the numbers go, Chase has all the accolades and accomplishments of a Hall of Famer, and we all believe he'll be in Cooperstown in the very near future -- and deservedly so," said fellow 2008 World Series champion Pat Burrell, who helped introduce Utley. "But to only go by the numbers would be selling him short. ... He did everything the way it's supposed to be done. He never made excuses. It was always about team, and never about him."

Even on this night, Utley couldn't help but focus on the team that was preparing to play a game.

The current Phillies players all watched Utley's ceremony from the top step of the dugout ... except for Zack Wheeler. As the night's starting pitcher, Wheeler was warming up in the bullpen as Utley blew past his personal speech time record.

"Zack, sorry dude," Utley said, turning around toward the center-field bullpen. "I'll pick this up."

Utley did his best, but there were simply too many thank yous to cover from his 13 seasons in Philadelphia.

He reciprocated the praise he received from Burrell, the first player to take Utley under his wing. He thanked former Phillies president Dave Montgomery, World Series-winning manager Charlie Manuel and double-play partner Jimmy Rollins -- or "J-Roll, the best shortstop in Phillies history,” as Utley put it.

He expressed his gratitude to his first manager Larry Bowa and longtime coach John Vukovich -- two men he credited for tutoring him early in his career.

"I learned a number of lessons from those guys, but one of my favorites was that it was acceptable to scream at umpires," Utley said. "Actually, it was encouraged to scream at umpires."

All of those people Utley mentioned are already in the Wall of Fame. At the conclusion of his speech, it was Ryan Howard -- perhaps the next member to be inducted -- who pulled away the cloth to unveil Utley's bronze plaque on the left-field plaza.

"It was an honor to be your teammate and friend," Howard said. "Savor the moment, buddy. No one deserves it as much as you."

After Howard's reveal, Utley was presented with his Wall of Fame ring by Phillies managing partner John Middleton. Utley was then presented with a mini version of his plaque by actor Rob McElhenney -- known for playing his Utley-obsessed character, Mac, on "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia."

"In Philadelphia, you don't just get respect. You have to earn respect," Utley said. "Standing here tonight, knowing I may have earned a small piece of that respect from you, that means more to me than everything.

"I will always be proud to be a Philadelphia Phillie."