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Chase Utley takes out ad in two Philadelphia papers to thank fans

Chris Cwik
·Staff writer

For a number of years, no player best exemplified the Philadelphia Phillies' success better than Chase Utley. In his 12+ seasons with the club, Utley emerged as the face of the franchise. He had to share that role with Jimmy Rollins and Ryan Howard occasionally, but Utley was the best of that bunch.

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Like most franchises, the Phillies couldn't sustain that level of play forever. While everyone knew a rebuild was coming, the first big sign of change came in the offseason, as Rollins was shipped to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The franchise continued that tear down a few days ago, sending Utley to the Dodgers. As a thanks to the fans, Utley took out a full-page ad in two Philadelphia papers Monday.

In case the above link doesn't work, here's a picture of the ad:

(@ryanlawrence21)
(@ryanlawrence21)

Utley's ad ran in both the "Philadelphia Daily News" and the "Philadelphia Inquirer."

(Getty Images)
(Getty Images)

It's also no surprise that Utley would have loyalty to the Phillies. He was drafted by the franchise in 2000, made his major-league debut in 2003 and won a World Series in 2008.

Up until last week, the Phillies were the only franchise Utley ever experienced in the majors. While the team has fallen off steeply from their peak a few seasons ago, the fans still loved Utley.

That's shouldn't come as a surprise either. Until this year, Utley continued to produce some strong numbers, even as the club declined around him.

Few players get to experience that much success in one place over such a long period of time. Utley may now play for a different club, but he'll always be remembered as a member of the Phillies.

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We see these "thank you" ads all the time when athletes leave cities, but this one feels just a little more important. Chase Utley personified the Phillies for so long. We're still getting used to seeing him wearing a different jersey.

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Chris Cwik is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at christophercwik@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik