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Friday, May 16, 2008

USA Today: Schmidt: Utley is best player in baseball

Tuck in that silver lamé handkerchief…Mike Schmidt has found his star!

And as a bonus, he’s run stopper defensively. He comes to the park to beat you. He’ll “take one” for the team anytime - often does - but refuses to wear an unmanly elbow pad, like a few names we won’t mention.

In a recent game against the Mets, he was hit three times and trotted to first, satisfied knowing he had created scoring opportunities, unlike so many hitters who need to make a scene after being plunked.

Remember, he faces an unusual amount of left-handed pitchers, as opposing managers know they must neutralize him and Howard to beat the Phillies.

Defensively, it was once said Utley wouldn’t have a position, that his arm was too weak and his hands were average. Ha! He and Rollins are the best, maybe ever - for sure if you count offense.

With Utley, Rollins, Howard, and Burrell, you most likely have the annual selection pool majority for the NL MVP. Trust me, there are 160 home run, and 400-plus RBIs and runs in there, and that doesn’t count Jenkins and Feliz.

Utley is the heart and soul, their leader, their “diamond rat.” He’s the perfect player for the city.

Repoz Posted: May 16, 2008 at 01:06 AM | 32 comment(s) | Login to Bookmark
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1. Shredder Posted: May 16, 2008 at 01:47 AM (#2782793)

U...C...L...A...

UCLA Fight Fight Fight!

2. Crashburn Alley Posted: May 16, 2008 at 02:37 AM (#2782826)

I love Utley and my Phillies... but no way is Utley better than A-Rod or Pujols. If you factor in defense, he's better than Han-Ram.

3. The importance of being Ernest Riles Posted: May 16, 2008 at 02:39 AM (#2782829)

Screw Utley, everyone knows that Ottley is the best.

4. Crashburn Alley Posted: May 16, 2008 at 02:42 AM (#2782831)

Utley gets vote of confidence from President

It probably won't improve his approval ratings in the Philadelphia area, but President Bush offered an interesting answer this week when asked who would be the first position player he would want if he owned a baseball team again. He would want Chase Utley.

"I like Utley from the Philadelphia Phillies," Bush said in a transcript at politico.com. "He's a middle infielder, which is always, you know, they say strength up the middle. There's nothing better than having a good person up the middle that can hit."

Utley, who is not expected to be campaigning for any candidate any time soon, took the news in stride. "It's obviously a great compliment to have," Utley said. "It's kind of cool."

Bush, the former managing general partner of the Texas Rangers, also said the first pitcher he would want is Toronto Blue Jays righthander Roy Halladay.

Headline for Friday, May 16, 2008: Utley declares that the Phillies have won the NL East on May 16, 2008. The Phillies then go on a 120-game losing streak, all the while having the 2008 NL East pennant flying atop Citizens Bank Park.

On a serious note, Utley seems like a liberal as he's big on environmental issues and animal rights. So, I think his comment about it being "kind of cool" to be liked by President Bush was one of those bite-the-tongue comments. :-P

5. Darren

Posted: May 16, 2008 at 02:54 AM (#2782840)

I keep hearing from sports talking heads that "it's really cool that the president really seems to know his stuff on baseball. He really follows it closely, you can tell, because he knows things like Utley is the best." The past 7+ years have taught us nothing, I'm afraid.

6. Justin T contains indigenous nudity Posted: May 16, 2008 at 03:05 AM (#2782848)

On a serious note, Utley seems like a liberal as he's big on environmental issues and animal rights. So, I think his comment about it being "kind of cool" to be liked by President Bush was one of those bite-the-tongue comments. :-P

Or maybe he is just mature enough to understand that a compliment from the president is kind of cool, regardless.

Plus, in the real world, the usual infantile lib response of "OMG, Iraq!" would have sounded a lot weirder than it reads on the internet.

7. Crashburn Alley Posted: May 16, 2008 at 03:11 AM (#2782852)

Snarkiness level of comment #6: 5.95; 6.15 if we adjust for park factors.

8. Darren

Posted: May 16, 2008 at 03:12 AM (#2782853)

OMG Iraq.

Sorry, us infantile libs get hung up on such silly trivialities as hundreds of thousands of preventable deaths. We're such babies.

9. Eraser-X is emphatically dominating teh site!!! Posted: May 16, 2008 at 03:27 AM (#2782862)

Who cares about life? We are capitalists--it's the trillion dollars that bothers me.

10. Crashburn Alley Posted: May 16, 2008 at 03:37 AM (#2782865)

IRAN

IRAN

IRAQ!

11. larkin4HoF Posted: May 16, 2008 at 04:43 AM (#2782899)

i think it is cool that the president knows baseball in such detail. It would have been nice if he had known as much about the Sunni and Shite division in Iraq before invading.

12. Harry Balsagne's transparent jealousy

Posted: May 16, 2008 at 05:08 AM (#2782908)

On a serious note, Utley seems like a liberal as he's big on environmental issues and animal rights

Right. He also must be a linear-thinking moron. Good thing such perceptive, open-minded fellows such as yourself are around to suss out the truth.

13. Frank McCourt's Gold Stars are in bankruptcy court Posted: May 16, 2008 at 05:16 AM (#2782909)

It would have been nice if he had known as much about the Sunni and Shite division in Iraq before invading.
How was he to know there were different kinds of Iraqistanis?

14. Long John McCaine Mutiny on the Bounty (scott) Posted: May 16, 2008 at 05:37 AM (#2782913)

we clearly didn't give them enough rose petals before we invaded.

i'm not sure how anyone at this point can make the argument that the invasion of Iraq wasn't botched horribly. although i'm sure there are people who post on this site who will call me a naive liberal idiot for thinking otherwise.

but we're so liberal the conservatives are so oppressed. #### y'all, bastardos.

15. G.W.O. Posted: May 16, 2008 at 05:40 AM (#2782915)

It would have been nice if he had known as much about the Sunni and Shite division in Iraq before invading.

Even understanding it now would've been nice.

16. Orange & Blue Velvet Posted: May 16, 2008 at 05:54 AM (#2782917)

Hmmm. I didn't know Sunny and Cher was that popular in Iraq.

17. Arva Posted: May 16, 2008 at 12:00 PM (#2782964)

Um, I don't much care for President Bush, but a compliment from the President is a compliment from the President. Its not a liberal or conservative thing. It wasn't even a political ploy by the President to gain popularity, for God's sake, just a straight up I think Utley's the best player in the game kind of thing.

18. Shooty: Applying to be Fearless Leader

Posted: May 16, 2008 at 12:16 PM (#2782981)

I dig Utley and wish he didn't have the Bush taint now. I have an irrational loathing of Bush anymore. I keep thinking of all the bodies coming home and all the bodies in Iraq and then I think of our brave president watching a ball game, or hanging out at his ranch on one of his many, many vacations and it feels me with rage. It's as if I think he should have no joy or pleasure in his life while this war he has started is going on. While people are dying I think he should be hunkered in some war room 24/7 and on the phone harassing people in the Iraq who need to be harassed to get this thing over with. I know this is completely irrational, but it's what I feel in my gut. This stupid ####### war is making me crazy.

19. StJoeHawk Posted: May 16, 2008 at 12:20 PM (#2782986)

I keep hearing from sports talking heads that "it's really cool that the president really seems to know his stuff on baseball. He really follows it closely, you can tell, because he knows things like Utley is the best." The past 7+ years have taught us nothing, I'm afraid.

At first, I thought that this was a political comment. Then, I realized that Albert Pujols made his debut 7+ years ago. Good call.

20. Tulo's Fishy Mullet (mrams) Posted: May 16, 2008 at 12:27 PM (#2782992)

17, indeed. and 18, you are irrational. It really is tiresome that so many must react to any comment by W. by digging in and turning it all into a political tirade. As if W. waved his hand and 'made us' go to war, you're giving the guy way too much credit/blame. Your rage should be directed towards hypocrites and cowards in Congress who either voted for it, before they were against it, or are simply too interested in the next election cycle to make any bones about it now.

W. thinks Utley is the best ballplayer, and doesn't back it up with a page of footnotes, big deal.

21. CrosbyBird Posted: May 16, 2008 at 12:30 PM (#2782996)

I love Utley and my Phillies... but no way is Utley better than A-Rod or Pujols. If you factor in defense, he's better than Han-Ram.

You can definitely make a case based on 2008 performance that Utley is the best player in baseball, once you account for defensive ability and position. I can see a colorable argument for him, for Chipper Jones, or for Lance Berkman.

I'd probably take Berkman because of how significant the offensive difference is, and the missed playing time for Chipper. I didn't realize it, but Berkman has 7 SB so far this season. He is carrying my NL-only fantasy team (2nd in BA, 1st in HR, R, and RBI, and has 1 fewer SB than the 7th best in the league).

22. Shooty: Applying to be Fearless Leader

Posted: May 16, 2008 at 12:40 PM (#2783005)

17, indeed. and 18, you are irrational.

Oh, I have plenty of rage for the hypocrites, too. And for the apologists.

23. Dan Szymborski

Posted: May 16, 2008 at 12:45 PM (#2783013)

Given how most people feel about pretty much anything Bush does as president, isn't it better for everyone for him to be watching a baseball game or on vacation than doing actual governance stuff? There are lots of varying opinions about the Iraq War, but I don't think anyone thinks the solution would be for Bush to have more fingers in the pie.

24. Chris Dial Posted: May 16, 2008 at 12:49 PM (#2783016)

Utley may not be better than Pujols or ARod evey year, but he's right there. He's not going ot have the power of those guys, but he's MUCH better defensively. Yes, Pujols is a very good defender, but he just has so many fewer chances at 1B.

I may not care for much of Bush's decisions/actions, but I think he does show some baseball intellect and a compliment from the Office is nice.

25. Gern Blanston Posted: May 16, 2008 at 12:55 PM (#2783029)

i think it is cool that the president knows baseball in such detail.

I'd be more impressed by this if he hadn't once owned a major league baseball team. Any remotely serious baseball fan knows who Chase Utley is.

26. Shooty: Applying to be Fearless Leader

Posted: May 16, 2008 at 12:55 PM (#2783030)

Given how most people feel about pretty much anything Bush does as president, isn't it better for everyone for him to be watching a baseball game or on vacation than doing actual governance stuff? There are lots of varying opinions about the Iraq War, but I don't think anyone thinks the solution would be for Bush to have more fingers in the pie.

I know. Which is why I admitted my feelings about the man aren't rational anymore. I can no longer measure my feelings about this through the opaque glass of realpolitik. I really wish I could stop internalizing it. It's bad for the digestion and it's no good for my sleep. Ah well. When and if the A's drop under .500, I'm probably done. Who wants to volunteer to feed my cat?

27. 6 - 4 - 3 Posted: May 16, 2008 at 01:22 PM (#2783059)

I'm pleasantly surprised whenever Bush manages to string together a halfway cogent sentence--with agreement between the subjects and verbs.

28. Thomas Richard Hamilton Nugent Posted: May 16, 2008 at 01:35 PM (#2783077)

Given how most people feel about pretty much anything Bush does as president, isn't it better for everyone for him to be watching a baseball game or on vacation than doing actual governance stuff? There are lots of varying opinions about the Iraq War, but I don't think anyone thinks the solution would be for Bush to have more fingers in the pie.

Arlo Guthrie said something similar about Ronald Reagan and his naps: "The more he sleeps, the safer I feel." I'm sure many of us wish our teams' general manager would take a nap every now and then. Jim Hendry rip van winkling until Jim Edmonds announces his retirement woulda been nice.

29. Misirlou's got a busy day, he's wearing a vest Posted: May 16, 2008 at 02:02 PM (#2783094)

I have an irrational loathing of Bush anymore.

I have an irrational loathing of the widespread misuse of the word anymore.

30. Shooty: Applying to be Fearless Leader

Posted: May 16, 2008 at 02:13 PM (#2783106)

I have an irrational loathing of the widespread misuse of the word anymore.

Usage of "anymore" is in flux now. I've given in to the changing times, probably because teaching freshman composition for a couple of years destroyed my language skills. So irregardless of your loathing of my usage, I could care less. Alright?

31. Steve Parris, Je t'aime (M. Valentin) Posted: May 16, 2008 at 02:47 PM (#2783146)

Has Bush been asked about serving as the Commissioner down the road?

32. bunyon Posted: May 16, 2008 at 02:51 PM (#2783153)

Has Bush been asked about serving as the Commissioner down the road?

To keep with the politics, I think MLB should expand to Bagdhad and sell the franchise to Bush. Rummy could be his field manager and Cheney his GM. Just as long as they have an open box mid level above the plate.

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USA Today: Schmidt: Utley is best player in baseball

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