Goodbye, Brunts

No one seemed to notice today in our post-Eagles furor, but the Phils took Eric Bruntlett off of the 40-man roster today (per Murph of the Daily News, at least where I first saw it). His career in Philadelphia is over by all indications.



Could the guy hit a lick? Not really. However, his picture is on my fucking wall. Sliding into home plate under a weakly flipped ball from Evan Longoria off the bat of Carlos Ruiz. Matt Stairs arms in the air in front of him. Which happened to be the winning, walk-off run in game 3 of the World Series.

And oh yeah, you may remember game 5 of that series, something about a rain delay and a celebration. Also won by a single run. Scored by Eric Bruntlett.

Did he even get a hit to get on base in either game? No. He was hit by a pitch in game 3 and pinch-ran for Pat Burrell in game 5 after The Bat's last sweet swing in a Phillies uniform. Regardless, the guy scored two of the most important runs in team history.

So I will remember Eric Bruntlett not for the offensive ineptitude, the groans when he replaced Burrell in the late innings of a game, not the often So Taguchi-esque "I'm going to soil myself" look on his face. I will remember him for scoring two of the biggest runs ever in Phillies team history, runs that led to them being crowned WFC's.

So, bearded one, good luck in the rest of your career, and your picture ain't coming down from my wall, in some room somewhere, for the rest of my life. And that triple play against the Mets wasn't too shabby either. Farewell and thank you, Eric Bruntlett.