May 28 -- EARLY ALL-STAR RETURNS

Based on the first set of returns from fan balloting provided today by MLB, we here at The Blog are ready to project that Chase Utley will be voted in as the starting second baseman for the National League at the All-Star Game on July 15 at Yankee Stadium.

How can we be so sure?

Well, check out these numbers. Utley leads all NL players with 537,788 votes, and it isn't even close. Utley is more than 100,000 votes ahead of the next most popular player, Braves third baseman Chipper Jones (420,664). But Utley is the only Phillies player leading at his position, which tells me that he's getting votes from all NL precincts, not just Philadelphia.

At first base, Ryan Howard ranks fifth with 140,683 votes. Jimmy Rollins ranks fifth at shortstop with 156,620 votes. In the outfield, Pat Burrell is sixth with 220,596 votes. The leaders at each position are Astros first baseman Lance Berkman (329,723), Utley, Jones, Marlins shortstop Hanley Ramirez (268,386), Cubs catcher Geovany Soto (343,427), Cubs outfielders Alfonso Soriano (352,267) and Kosuke Fukudome (325,456) and Reds outfielder Ken Griffey Jr. (300,230).

Click here to see the full release: NLALLSTAR.pdf

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The consensus among most of my female friends is that Utley is a good-looking dude. Apparently, the editors at Men's Fitness magazine agree. In their June/July issue, they named Utley one of the 25 most fit guys in America.