One look at Chase Utley without bat or hat suggests Surf City. He is the picture of California cool, in facial expresssion and in demeanor, a cross between James Dean and Luke Perry of that Beverly Hills zip code show. Swinging a bat or charging down the third base line with a catcher blocking his path, it becomes a little more like Muscle Beach. It's only fitting that the star second baseman came to the Phillies by way of UCLA.
I bring these items up only because I have this great fear that when he becomes eligible, Utley will bolt right back to the West Coast and don a Dodgers (or Padres or Angels) uniform.
Even before the start of the season, I had been on my soapbox saying the Phillies had better not drag their feet in locking this guy up with a long-term contract, don't wait until free agency is upon him. They need to wow him now with a show of love and real commitment. Ask any fan who the face of the Phillies is, and the third-year player already would be the overwhelming favorite. That's not to take anything away from Ryan Howard or Brett Myers. But Utley's top-gear hustle and blossoming talent have endeared him to the hard-to-please, would-rather-whine Philadelphia sports fan -- and he didn't have to smash his nose into the center field fence earn that standing. Running out a routine grounder for a base hit, burying a catcher on a play at the plate, hitting a home run or lining a single in a tie ballgame, making a diving stop in the field ... Hey, he's the one Phillie who actually likes to steal a base when it matters. He's what you'd call Larry Brown's kind of ballplayer, a guy who "plays the right way."
This past week, I was interesting to hear Comcast analyst John Marzano echo my sentiments that the Phillies should sign him a 10-year contract -- right now. Let's hope there's a same-thinking person in the Phillies front office.
"Now batting third for the Dodgers, Chase ..."
I get ill just thinking about it.
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