Today we mourn one of the darkest days in Phillies history. A Philadelphia icon passed away much to early. For those of you who are true Phillies fans who know whom I speak of.
If you go to phillies.com, there are many memories of Vuk from a variety of influential players and coaches in the game. The first I list is of course from my favorite current Phillie and it says a lot:
"I got my first taste of the big leagues around Vuk. He showed me the proper way to go about my business and I respected him a lot for that. His knowledge of baseball was second to none and I'm definitely going to miss him." -- Chase Utley
But ironically my favorite comes from an icon himself that was featured last week on this website. This quote by itself, makes me enjoy Vuk more more than the fungo bat, infield drills, and bunting that was his responsiblity for so many years.
"We talked on the phone 3-4 times a week for years. He loved to hang up in the middle of a conversation which would tick me off. Vuk called me every year on my birthday, including this January when he was in a weakened condition. That really touched me. In life you can count your real, real friends on one hand. He was one of my five fingers."
-- Don Zimmer, Senior Baseball Advisor, Tampa Bay Devil Rays
So when you're at the ballpark this spring or summer and you see the Phillies uniform that has some type of patch or black on it, know that it is honoring a guy that managed to stick around baseball for over 40 years and truly lived the dream.
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