My man-crush on Chase Utley
I have a confession to make. I have a man-crush on Chase Utley and I’m quite positive I’m not alone.
Mac from It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia has one of the most famous man-crushes on Chase Utley. Yes, it may be fiction, but Rob Mcelhenney, Sunny’s show creator and star, is a born and bred Philadelphian who still roots for his Fightins. In a rather amusing episode of It’s Always Sunny last season, the whole gang tried to break into a World Series game by way of secret tunnel from the Holiday Inn to Citizens Bank Park. In this episode, Mac wrote an epic love letter to Chase that he intended to read to him.
Well, Mac may finally get his wish as Chase Utley and Ryan Howard both will make cameo appearances on this upcoming season of It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia.
There’s a reason why Phillies fans have such a crush on Chase, both male and female alike: he’s a damn fine ballplayer and the girls think he’s cute. Chase and his wife Jen have become the adopted first family of Philadelphia, whether it be through their devoted work to their animal charities or just being good-looking and well-respected people.
From a purely baseball standpoint, Chase is that player that every team wishes they had. He plays baseball the right way. He runs out every hit, even if it’s a surefire out. He rarely argues or even opens his mouth in objection to umpires calls. He wears the same expression on his face whether he hits a game winning grand slam or a popout with runners in scoring position. He plays hard, he plays fast, and he plays smart. His fake throw in Game 5 of the 2008 World Series to throw Jason Bartlett out at the plate on an Akinori Iwamura ground ball is one of the best plays I’ve seen in recent World Series games. And the one time he does open his mouth, he expresses the most passionate outburst that was going through the mind of every fan in Philadelphia including myself: “World F-ing Champions!”
The past two months have been tough for Chase though. He has been sidelined due to a torn ligament on his thumb while trying to stretch a single into a double against the Cincinnati Reds. He was expected to be out eight weeks at minimum. He’s already playing in rehab games and looking set to return for the Phillies home series against the San Francisco Giants, two weeks ahead of the minimum schedule.
This isn’t the first time Utley has wowed doctors with returning from injury. In 2007, he returned a mere four weeks after breaking his hand. Prior to the 2009 season, he was expected to miss April after hip surgery, but was in the opening day lineup. His return isn’t as miraculous physically but by Chase’s determination mentally.
Women, hide your boyfriends when Chase Utley comes up to bat!
And that’s what makes Chase Utley so amazing to us Phillies fans: his incomparable determination to play and to win. During his stint on the disabled list, he traveled with the team on away games, taking ground balls, running the bases, and doing workout routines before each game. Word is he even put on muscle weight during this time. Even when Chase is healthy, he’s known to be first to the ballpark and the last to leave taking hours in the batting cage and video room to make himself better. Compare that to the anti-Utley — Manny Ramirez — who has been sidelined with a calf/hamstring injury for over a month. Do you think he’s been traveling with the team, doing extra workouts, and has done everything in his power to return to the lineup? I’m willing to bet not. He’s probably spending more time looking at himself in the mirror as he looks at every ball he hits to the outfield from home plate instead of running.
Charlie Manuel described Chase’s stint on the DL like that of being a “caged lion.” He just wants to get out there and back to playing, and boy have the fans missed him. Chase leads by example and is hugely respected around the clubhouse. Phillies’ team videographer, Dan Stephenson, told me that when Chase Utley asks for something, he usually gets it. Utley carries that much clout and it’s not just around the Phillies and their fans, but all of baseball as well.
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