The Phillies had planned to honor Utley with a send-off during Wednesday night’s game in South Philadelphia, but the timing with the finalization of the trade did not make that possible.
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This room lined with computer monitors – and the other stations like it across major-league baseball – was typically where one would find Utley, poring over immeasurable amounts of film of that night’s starting pitcher or of his at-bats from the previous games. I think everyone knows my love and affection for this city. All of us will miss him in a lot of ways. For a town that prides itself on its toughness and workmanlike qualities sans pretentious stylings and trappings, Utley was an ideal fit for Philadelphia.
With Chase Utley now part of the Dodgers’ puzzle for the rest of the season, maybe the Dodgers will be able to work through this dynamic over the last six weeks of the season.
“Chase is an iconic, generational player here in Philadelphia, and arguably one of the most popular and most successful players we’ve ever had in our organization”, Amaro said. Looking to continue his recent rebound in Los Angeles, Utley recognizes his legacy with the City of Brotherly Love. He gave us his play on the field, and a couple of obscenities when the microphone was on (the 2008 World Series speech) and when he didn’t think it was on (the 2008 All-Star Game).
“And then there were two”, Howard said. “In the clubhouse, it’s just watching him go through his prep – watching video, doing what he needs to do to get ready for games”. The Hall of Fame caliber second baseman struggled mightily this year, but he’d figured things out enough in the last month or so to make him an attractive trade candidate.
Despite playing through various injuries and inconsistencies in 2015, Utley serves as a capable replacement for injured second baseman Howie Kendrick and adds offensive depth to a Dodgers’ team that has averaged just over 4 runs per game in August.
“We all know Harry was an fantastic person”, Utley said.
The homegrown core of Philadelphia’s World Series’ championship squad began to emerge when outfielder Pat Burrell was called up to the big leagues in May 2000. It was a very, very hard decision for me and my family to go. Ryan Howard had the huge power numbers, Rollins was the lightning rod, and the pitching staff was permeated with an array of Cy Young Award-contending aces. Staying with Utley would have only continued past practices, which got the Phillies in their current predicament (47-73 this season, out of the playoffs since 2011).
The Dodgers have been down this road before, trading for a 36 year-old in the twilight of his career. And the customers (fans) clearly aren’t happy with the current product, the direct result of being too sentimental to the players responsible for the team’s glory days, making sure they stayed in Philly past their expiration date.
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There was no fist pumping, chest thumping, “look at me” attempts to branch out beyond being a baseball player.
