Phillies honor franchise legends with Wall of Fame induction rings

PHILADELPHIA -- Years from now, it will be Bryce Harper’s bronze plaque being hung on the Phillies’ Wall of Fame.

It will reside near those of Mike Schmidt, Richie Ashburn and Robin Roberts, and in the future, Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley and Ryan Howard. Harper will receive the same gold, diamond-and-ruby encrusted ring that Schmidt, Steve Carlton, Larry Bowa, Charlie Manuel and other Phillies Wall of Famers received on Saturday night at Citizens Bank Park, where the organization inducted late president David Montgomery.

Phillies managing partner John Middleton is starting a new tradition this year. He is giving special rings to Wall of Famers upon their inductions.

These aren’t run-of-the-mill rings, either. These rings rival NL championship rings; these are trophy rings that you display on a shelf or wear on a special occasion.

“I’ve always lived my life with the idea that whatever you're doing today, you try to find ways to do it better tomorrow,” Middleton said Friday. “When we were doing the ‘22 [NL] championship rings, the players obviously get them, the coaches obviously get them, the front office gets them. Then you make decisions about who else gets them. And we were very inclusive.

“I made the decision to give an NL ring to the Wall of Famers. Alumni are really important to us. The Wall of Famers are an inner circle of people who've been especially important to the organization, not only in the playing days, but many of them, at one point or another in their retirement, are working with us, for us, and either in the ambassadorial role or some other capacity. They’ve all been very special. And I thought giving them a ring would be special for them, that would show our gratitude for what they meant to us, what they continue to mean to us, what we want them to mean to us in the future and I thought that was a nice thing to do, and they really loved it.”

They really did.

“I finally got a ring,” Mike Lieberthal memorably exclaimed when he got it.

“It was a great reaction,” Middleton said.

Reactions like that pushed forward the idea for a Wall of Fame ring.

It is different from the 2008 World Series championship and ‘09 and ‘22 NL championship rings. It is yellow gold instead of white gold; it has 479 diamonds and rubies, is 8.2 karats and has “Wall of Fame” across the top.

It’s big.

Montgomery’s widow Lyn got one Saturday night on her late husband’s behalf.

It was fitting to start this new tradition on the night Montgomery was honored. Montgomery treated the Phillies’ alumni like royalty, understanding their value to an organization that has been around since 1883.

Of course, Montgomery probably wouldn’t have liked the attention he received on Saturday, either.

But he earned it.

“I would like to think that David would demur and say, ‘John, you really shouldn't be doing this,’” Middleton said. “But privately he would be pleased and gratified. When we named the building down in Clearwater after him, that was really his reaction there. It was like, ‘Come on, guys. This is ridiculous. You really shouldn't be doing this. I don’t deserve it.’ But when you walked away from that and you talked to Dave privately, he was really appreciative and thankful and grateful. I think he would feel the same thing about this. He’s being honored because he’s one of two owners/presidents who won the World Series. He deserves it.”