Chase Utley Thanks Philly In Full-Page Ad

When the Phillies traded second baseman Chase Utley to the Los Angeles Dodgers last week, it marked a very clear end of an era for the club. The departure of Utley, one of the most beloved Phillies ever, leaves only Ryan Howard and Carlos Ruiz remaining on the team from the 2008 World champions.

On Sunday, Utley placed a full-page ad in the Daily News to thank Philadelphia for their support during his time on the team.

“Thank you Philadelphia for taking me under your wing 12 years ago,” Utley wrote in the ad. “It has been an honor and a dream come true to play for a city with so much passion. I feel extremely lucky to have played for an organization with so many incredible people.”

Utley went on to thank longtime team president Dave Montgomery and former manager Charlie Manuel, as well as several of his teammates, including Pat Burrell, Aaron Roand, Jimmy Rollins, Ryan Howard, Shane Victorino, Carlos Ruiz and Cole Hamels. And he acknowledged the work he and his wife, Jen, have done with the Philadelphia SPCA.

He closed with “WFC forever,” a reference to his famously exclaiming “World [expletive] Champions” during the Phillies’ championship rally in 2008.

Both Rollins and Hamels also placed full page ads after they were traded earlier this year.