Chase Utley's daily schedule looks a little like this:-Hit a home run
-Make a diving catch (or two) to help the Phillies win
-Save an animal for the SPCA
Utley did it all last night. He hit his majors-leading 21st homer and homered for the fifth straight day, tying a franchise record that he already achieved earlier this season. Only Utley, Dick Allen (1969), Mike Schmidt (1979) and Bobby Abreu (2005) have done that. Then, he made two diving catches to rob the Reds' Joey Votto of hits in the seventh and ninth innings.
Utley is as private as it gets. He abhors talking about himself. Over the years, we've been able to glean that he's an animal lover (he and his wife, Jen, volunteer with the Philly chapter of the SPCA), and he has spoken out against global warming. As usual, he didn't have much to say about his performance last night, deflecting the attention to the bullpen, starter Kyle Kendrick and anyone else he could think of. But, after talking to several folks in the clubhouse, you could hear the reverence and respect that everyone has for Utley.
Here's a sampling:
Geoff Jenkins: "He's the ultimate leader. How he plays the game, the way he hustles, he's the best in the game, hands down. If you were to mold a player, you'd start with Chase Utley."
Charlie Manuel: "If we didn't have Chase, we wouldn't be where we're at. He has 52 RBIs, 21 homers, and it's not only that. It's how he plays the game."
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Ken Griffey Jr. didn't play last night, but he did open up for the first time this season about his pursuit of 600 home runs. Lots of people have lots of stories about Griffey. In the three or four times that I've dealt with him, I've always found him to be personable, engaging, even humble. Several times, I've heard him say that all he ever wanted to do was be as good as his father. Ask him about his three children, and you better book at least a half-hour to let him tell you story after story.
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There's more on Kris Benson, Jayson Werth, Carlos Ruiz and others within the notebook.
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