Phillies' 2008 trophy has logged a lot of miles

As the Phillies begin their run for another World Series trophy, you'll be comforted to know that the one they won last year is safely ensconced in the team's executive offices after a whirlwind tour to places near and far.

According to Jamie Trout, the Phillies' manager for marketing programs, the trophy came off the road on June 30 in order to shift the focus squarely on the 2009 season. Though it is still taken out for certain club events, it generally sits in a case alongside the 1980 World Series trophy.

So how did the public tour end up going? Trout provided this statistical snapshot.

* The trophy traveled 34,292 miles, or the equivalent of just under 1 1/2 trips around the world.

* It appeared at 285 events.

* It was seen by 213,430 people. Trout says this is a "very rough estimate," and does not count the people who saw it at big events such as the championship parade.

* It went to nine states outside of Pennsylvania: Florida, Delaware, Maryland, Nevada, California, Texas, Arizona, New Jersey and New York.

Of the places where the trophy was displayed, Trout says "the most impressive" was the White House on May 15. But he says it also was shown over a weekend at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, N.Y., each of the Phillies' minor league affiliates, an array of local colleges and even the state house in Harrisburg, where Gov. Rendell arranged an appearance with two other championship trophies claimed last year by Pennsylvania teams, the Stanley Cup (won by the Pittsburgh Penguins) and the Lombardi Trophy (won by the Pittsburgh Steelers).

Contrary to whatever understandable apprehensions the Phillies might have had, the trophy came through the year unharmed. In fact, Trout says "everything went smoothly, which is to say no one dropped it and no one tried to steal it." Insofar as moving it from Point A to Point B, the only trouble that came up was the "few instances when we ran into traffic and were late," he says.

Chiefly assigned to escort the trophy in addition to Trout were Craig Solomon and Ryan Everist, both of whom are marketing interns. Trout says that "every time it went out, you were certainly nervous and tried not to get too used to being with the trophy. You had to be aware that it was safe and being handled properly."

Given the opportunity to tour with the 2009 World Series trophy, Trout says the club would probably follow the same script with just a few changes. Instead of visiting certain locations a handful of times, he says they would try to consolidate appearances in one visit.

"But it went off without any problems this year," Trout says. "Let's hope we can do it again." *