Watch: Jim Thome's Phillies Wall of Fame Induction Speech

A little nostalgia was a welcome break from the grim reality of Friday night's matchup between the 53-63 Phillies and the 56-59 Colorado Rockies.

The ceremony for Jim Thome's induction into the Phillies Wall of Fame provided plenty of that, with generations of great players on hand to honor Thome, or as Charlie Manuel called him, "The Thominator."

Manuel, who Thome said "taught me everything about the game" in the slugger's early years in Cleveland, delivered his heartfelt speech with that classic West Virginian accent Phillies fans tried for years to decipher. The other members of the Wall of Fame stood behind Manuel, including Steve Carlton, who apparently wears his sunglasses at night.

You can watch the full ceremony above. Here are some highlights from it:

• According to Manuel, "Overnight, [Thome] changed the way people looked at the Phillies." That's a pretty smart observation; people actually started to take the Phillies seriously when they landed Thome. Still, as speaker after speaker kept reminding us, he never won a title. 

• Out of a handful of video tributes on the big screen, Chase Utley's and Jimmy Rollins' were two of the most personal. Rollins thanked Thome for his role in turning the Phillies into a contender, while Utley had a short message expressing how honored he felt being able to play with his childhood hero. 

• Plenty of former Phillies who played alongside Thome were in attendance. Bobby Abreu unveiled Thome's plaque in Ashburn Alley, while Pat Burrell helped Thome put on his honorary jersey (though the big man probably didn't need any assistance). 

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• One of the best moments in Thome's gracious speech was when he said, "I always heard horror stories about the Philly media, but they treated me fairly and I respect you guys for that." Not the most glowing compliment, but we'll take it. 

• The individual video tributes kicked off with a few words from the great Nick Punto. That's when everyone knew this was going to be a special night.

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