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Mitch Williams remembers Darren Daulton as 'Captain of our chaos'

Mitch Williams, the Wild Thing, remembers Darren Daulton as a teammate, friend and leader.

Darren Daulton waves to the crowd at the Phillies’ alumni weekend in 2010.
Darren Daulton waves to the crowd at the Phillies’ alumni weekend in 2010.Read moreDavid Warren / File Photograph

The Phillies sent out some reactions from former teammates and club executives to the death Sunday night of Darren Daulton. Former reliever Mitch Williams used the most memorable phrase in a rambling, wonderful tribute.

The phrase, which encapsulates perfectly what Daulton and 1993 will mean to Phillies fans, likely forever:

"He was the Captain of our chaos, the most respected player amongst his peers…"

Here is the entire tribute:

"I am so sad to hear of another passing of one of the Phillies family, one of the best I ever had the good fortune to play with, and the biggest part of our most special '93 team, Darren "Dutch" Daulton. I believe he was truly loved on a different level than most. He was the Captain of our chaos, the most respected player amongst his peers, and those great players who came before him. He was our rock, our leader in that clubhouse of guys in 1993. He, of course, was first locker on Macho Row-I don't even know how it got the name, but I was fortunate enough to locker next to him, followed by Pete "Inky" Incaviglia, Lenny "Nails" Dykstra, and John "Kruky" Kruk. I say this because while he was undeniably the best looking man in Philly, people probably considered him macho. But what most people don't know about him was that he wasn't afraid to show his emotion. Dutch always had a big hug and a kiss on the cheek for anyone of us who he was happy with. However, when someone needed to be stood up straight, he did it and you knew it. Maybe that's why he kept me close, I don't know, but I'm glad he did. When he walked in a room, or on the field, he commanded it. And let's be honest, women loved Dutch. I think that a lot of baby boys were named after him, either Darren or Daulton, just to have a piece of him. Aside from his rock star looks, he had toughness and grit that was just in your face. Ten knee surgeries couldn't keep him from putting on that gear. I believe he caught over 140 games that year. He was super human to me. With two bags of ice on both knees before every game, he set the tone for us players that year and probably for the rest of our careers. It's pretty hard to go in and ask for a day off with a guy like that in the locker room. His drive and tenacity to grind out every game came from his love of the game, his teammates, the fans, and our beloved owner Bill Giles, affectionately known to us as "Uncle Bill". The memories us teammates, the Phillies organization, and the fans that were along for that ride in '93 have, are forever burned in our hearts and minds, we'll never forget. The monumental impact he had on nearly all of them will never be erased and probably never duplicated. One of my favorite memories of Dutch was when, one of the many times, I walked the bases loaded in the ninth with a two run lead. He comes to the mound just drenched in sweat; it was 104 degrees on the turf that day at the Vet. I'm thinking he's fixing to yell in my face all the things that Kruky had been screaming at me from first base. He comes at me and says 'Are you done ****ing around? It's hot out here and the beer is cold in the clubhouse- let's go!' Well, I got out of that trouble and we won the game. He always knew how to get the best out of me and all of his teammates. Bubba, I will miss you. I will miss laughing with you and reliving all those memories from that glorious year. I will miss your big smile, open arms, with you calling out to me "Pooh" on Alumni weekends. The only comfort I feel today is that Fregosi and Vuk will be waiting for you at the gates of heaven, with a cold beer ready, and talk of how the Phils are doing. Vuk will want to know who to put the freeze on. Harry and Whitey will have the call, 'Look at who is coming to the gate, the Captain, #10, Darren "Dutch" Daulton!' There will be a standing ovation and Harry will lead all of our dearly departed Phillies family in his signature rendition of 'High Hopes!' Love you Dutch-Godspeed, and don't give my locker to anybody else or I'm gonna be pissed!"