Chase has huge All Star Error, was that the Chase we know?
Chase Utley may have been very nervous when he was announced at the
Home Run Derby on Monday night. He was so nervous, he actually cursed
the fans who voted him into the position in the first place. If that
wasn’t bad enough, it made national headlines and was talked about in
length today on sports radio stations in Philly and around the country.
Utley has got to learn not to do things like this, an apology
was issued, but the damage was done. He’s on National television and curses the loudly as he is welcomed onto the field by the PA announcer. He sounded like a spoiled
multi-millionaire that didn’t get what he wanted. What he wanted was
cheers, and adulation. Well, Chase is an all star but he’s far from the
Hall of Fame still and he should learn that it’s the fans that support his
baseball habit and keep his accustomed to his ‘style’ of living.
In Philadelphia, Utley has been known as the quiet ‘superstar’. Almost
like a baseball god really. He doesn’t say too much in the press and
when he does it usually some recap of a play of some other quote that
makes a great sound bite but may not be the way we really know about
the player. We all assume he’s a great character kind of guy, but this
incident puts a big ***** into that persona. Yes, after last night I
think Utley gets looked at in a different light. The quiet trust is
gone.
Yes, this was a error, and yes everyone is human and
makes mistakes, but Utley uttering the words, “Boo???…. F$$k You’ on
the worldwide broadcast of the All Star game in 2008 has got to be one
of the worst moments in Philly baseball history. I don’t care if every
fan in the stadium was booing Chase, come on there was a lot of Mets
fans in attendance there at the All Star game you can expect a lot of
boos from them at least.
Chase, I am a fan of your play
on the field, but you made a huge error here. It practically
overshadowed the whole All Star game in Philly on the sports radio
stations and around the office coolers today. It was wrong, and we
heard you apologize but I think you may need some help, perhaps all the
awards are going to your head or your angry. Maybe anger management
class? You did a tremendous disservice to yourself, and put a huge
cloud up over you for some time to come not to mention a black eye to
Philadelphia.
Rich Baxter – Fightin Phillies
familyblog1
Your statements that Chase Utleys “huge error” which “practically overshodowed the whole All Star game” is simply rediculous. For days after the home run derby (which was one of the most exciting in recent history) and the all star game (which was the longest in history) nobody was talking about Chase Utley. Yes, what Utley said was wrong, and he should and did apologize. Thats the end of it and let it be. The All Star game was great and was not overshadowed by anything, except maybe Josh Hamilton.
I felt at the time that Utley’s cursing of the fans was wrong, yes in hindsight days and weeks after the game it didn’t ‘overshadow’ the All Star game. That may have been an overstatement.
It was a bad moment, and a moment that millions of people watching the ‘Home Run Derby’ – Chase was wrong to say what he did. He did apologize. That being said, I still feel it was one of the most embarrassing things to happen to a Philly sports player and something that should have never happened.
Chase used to be known as the ‘ humble quiet superstar’ – he’s not anymore in my book. Those fans pay to see him, and keep him in the millions of dollars he is earning.