Phillies Nation

30 Responses to “Utley Brilliant In All Facets Of 5-4 Win”

1. Paul Says:
   June 3rd, 2008 at 12:43 am

   It’s nice to see the Phils playing so well. And Utley??? Well… he is just amazing. If he can keep this pace up, he should be the Phillies 3rd straight MVP winner.

2. E Paul Lian Says:
   June 3rd, 2008 at 1:21 am

   I’m a new Phillies’ fan from Arizona. Chris Coste is on fire, hope to see him in the lineup on a regular basis. Go Go Phillies !!

3. Phanatic74 Says:
   June 3rd, 2008 at 2:18 am

   Chase Utley is just amazing . . . . . On the other hand what is up with J-Roll? He’s no Ryan Howard, but he has not been his normal 2007 self. E Paul Lian – Just stick around the party is just getting started with the Phightins! Oh, by the way it would be nice to have J-Dub back soon if I can put that on an early Christmas list.

4. Phil Says:
   June 3rd, 2008 at 2:22 am

   J-Roll hasn’t been the same since his injury. I think his ankle is still hurt.

5. Jeffrey Says:
   June 3rd, 2008 at 7:48 am

   Wow… Someone *volunteering* to be a Phillies fan… My brain can’t process this development…

6. Rick Says:
   June 3rd, 2008 at 8:10 am

   Isn’t about time Charlie considers Coste the “starting” catcher. I understand that he can’t catch EVERY day, but he should without a doubt be getting the majority of the ABs. He has to be one of the most determined people I’ve ever seen.

   Good one Jeffrey! I remember well, the days when I used to tell people I was a Phillies fan and they asked “Why?”. I really think the strike hurt them through the mid-late 90’s (after they went to the series). It just took a couple years to get on the road to recovery.

7. Geoff Says:
   June 3rd, 2008 at 8:24 am

   Coste should be catching two out of three games per series. He can hit, though at times he isnt patient enough but we havent had a hitting number one catcher for a while and he is and should be able to fill that role. I hope kendrick can rebound and get his changeup involved more and improve that pitch. he pitches to contact a little bit too much. i understand hell always do that, but you still need to strike people out. hes earned his stay up here though and theres no doubt i feel safer with him out there than with eaton. chase utley is the MVP of the NL by far. its not even a question right now and if he keeps it up hell run away with it.

8. Tim Malcolm Says:
   June 3rd, 2008 at 9:06 am

   Well this 26 fellow is helping to convert a whole bunch of people to our side.

9. Don M Says:
   June 3rd, 2008 at 9:21 am

   I was SHOCKED to see that Utley was leading the NL in All-Star votes… but I guess people are starting to take notice.. I guess his being on SporstCenter every night doesn’t hurt.

   Coste is a very good offensive cather, but Ruiz is appearantly a better “catcher”… I’m sure the two of them will be splitting time throughout the year, with Coste getting all of the starts against LHP.

   Kendrick pitching to contact is just what he does, and why is was successful… look at the guys who were “Stirkeout pitchers” …Myers, Aaron Harang, Jeremy Bonderman just to name a few….. the one thing every hitter in major league baseball can do is Hit A Fastball…… you need guys to keep hitters off balance (Maddux, Moyer, Santana, Hamels)…or make them ground into DPs when there are runners (Brandon Webb, Chein Ming Wang, Fausto Carmona..)

10. Don M Says:
    June 3rd, 2008 at 9:24 am

    The final out of the game… you could see Utley was grinning, and J-Roll was laughing.. as he dove for the ball that was tailing back towards him. I like to see the guys go out there and play hard.. clowning around is what Rollins and Victorino are for. I’d like to see Howard start playing with a mean streak.

    How about… Utley’s Defense!! – from the first time i heard about Utley, I heard that he could hit at any level but his defense was suspect…well i’ll take his defense anyday.

    How about… The Phillies bullpen !!!! …. I can’t believe im saying that…

11. Tim Malcolm Says:
    June 3rd, 2008 at 9:30 am

    More on the bullpen within the hour.

    It’s like Utley has mastered that diving grab. He’s done it a bunch of times in the past two years.

12. Don M Says:
    June 3rd, 2008 at 9:51 am

    Angelo Cataldi wrote something about Utley in the Metro today… I started reading it on the train this morning, but then remembered how much I hate Cataldi and how he is on somebody’s balls one minute, and then he wants someone out of town, and he acts lilke a little girl all the time.. and his morning show on WIP sucks, so I listen to “Mike & Mike in the Morning, ESPN 950-AM” instead..

    I can’t stand most of whats on WIP anymore, and I used to listen to that station religiously. Like when the Eagles were done for a while…in March… and the Phils are in spring training… and people are calling up bitching about who the Eagles should take with their 5th round pick in the draft… WHO CARES…

    that rant was brought to you by my coffee this morning, and how I have heartburn…

13. Phil Says:
    June 3rd, 2008 at 10:22 am

    My uncle was trying to argue with me that Howard and Rollins are more important than Utley to the Phillies. His justification is that Howard is a better hitter and that Rollins is a more complete player than Utley. Okay, I’ll give him the latter. Rollins hits triples, steals bags, and is slightly better defensively, but Utley is still WAY better than both Rollins and Howard and is the MVP of the team. Rollins should go find the pitcher that broke Utley’s hand last year and shake his hand because it pretty much gave Rollins the MVP. Don’t get me wrong, I am by no means saying I dislike Howard or Rollins, but Utley is the best player in baseball.

14. Bruce Says:
    June 3rd, 2008 at 11:32 am

    Huh….. better than Pujols or A-Rod?

15. Geoff Says:
    June 3rd, 2008 at 11:58 am

    I agree about WIP. It was at its peak with Mike Missanelli and Anthony Gargano doing their show. it has since dramatically declined during the week. the weekend daytime people (Rob Ellis/Mitch Williams, Ray Didinger/Glen Macnow, Rob Charry/Hugh Douglas are significantly better than the weekday people. I like gargano sometimes but I cant listen to the radio at work.

    the morning show would be good without angelo cataldi on it. he is a complete bangwagon/whiney frontrunner. also, nobody cares about arlen spector calling in every 5 minutes. cataldi ruins that show and i just cant listen to it when hes on there whining about something that only he thinks is important. half of the time the guests dont even have anything to do with sports, its just to promote some strip club that isnt even any good by bringing in strippers for him to perv out on the air.

    the afternoon is worse and shouldnt have to be mentioned other than that guy is a total bootlicking mouthpiece for andy reid. has zero credibility. ive been listening to mike missanelli on 950espn radio since he has come back there.

    Also, cataldi is THE first guy to go negative EVERY single time. As soon as kimmo timonen got hurt…WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA, were cursed, were gonna lose, waaaaaaaaa. he constantly keeps that whole negative magic type thing going and it drags down the fans and the teams themselves.

    i complain about these teams a lot, but when i think they are good enough i will say it and will always hope for them to win even if they dont have all the pieces. people like cataldi WOULD RATHER LOSE so they can complain about it as opposed to win and be happy.

16. Don M Says:
    June 3rd, 2008 at 12:02 pm

    There is a very legit arguement to be had that Utley is the best player in the National League… Pujols is very good, Hanley Ramirez is very good, David Wright too… Lance Brekmann is very underrated, but i’d still reather have Utley. Matt Holiday is pretty damn good…

    I guess the question, if you were starting a team with any one position player…who would it be?

    I think I’d still go Pujols over Utley (eh maybe not..) Ramirez is a VERY good all-around player, and he’s only going to get better (he’s only 23 or 24).. Chipper is old, Dodgers have some good young talent… Utley is definitely in my top 3. Hitting triples doesn’t really mean a whole lot…or at least it doesn’t mean much more than hitting doubles, which Utley does a lot… runs scored, hits, RBIs, Avg. and OBP probably most important offenseive stats..

17. Bruce Says:
    June 3rd, 2008 at 1:07 pm

    Good question about starting a team and choosing a player. I want a player that combines the best work ethics and leadership with extraordinary talent. Utley best exemplifies those qualities. He possess those intangibles that you don’t see in the box scores or statistics on paper. He is always even keel; never argues with the umps; constantly aggressive on the base paths; runs out every meaningless grounders and pop-ups. He is a player that baseball traditionals and purists often dream of but rarely find as first choice to start a team. You can bet Manuel is overjoyed to have such a player.

18. Bruce Says:
    June 3rd, 2008 at 1:17 pm

    Phil~
    Nothing wrong with Rollins. Mini-slumps are expected of players during the course of the season. Rollins is apparently going through one now. When Rollins returned to the line-up on May 9th (at San Frisco), he started hitting consistently through May 27th. During that period, he was 27 for 82, good for a .329 BA. Since then he has cooled off. No doubt, Rollins will pick up sooner or later.

19. S H Says:
    June 3rd, 2008 at 1:27 pm

    Chase Utley is THE total player. Anyone catch his calling a balk on the Marlins pitcher over the weekend while the flyin’ Hawaiian was dancing off second? Plays O, D and even does the ump’s job! What a player. Give him a raise.

20. ryan Says:
    June 3rd, 2008 at 2:16 pm

    i am dead serious when i say this: i would rather have chase utley on my team than pujols or a-rod.

    no joke. utley is a better player. period. end of story

21. Phil Says:
    June 3rd, 2008 at 3:29 pm

    I agree Ryan. A-Rod is a premadona and Pujols is always hurt. Utley is just here to play the game. He doesn’t care about they money at all. When they gave him his contract he was thrilled to death, even though it is much lower than he’s worth. He said he wants to retire a Phillie no matter what they pay him. That guy is a class act.

22. Paul Says:
    June 3rd, 2008 at 3:33 pm

    I saw the blog got mentioned on Deadspin. Kudos!

23. Don M Says:
    June 3rd, 2008 at 3:47 pm

    A-rod is going to go down as one of the greatest players in MLB history… you guys are being Homers saying that you would rather have Utley than A-rod..

    I love Utley and I think that he is exactly what Philadelphia fans expect out of every professional athlete (Utley, Richards, Dawkins) …guys who go out and leave it all on the field..or ice… never seek the spotlight..never complain… they just play with everything they have..

    But seriously, A-rod is going to break every record known to man before he retires… and we would boo the hell out of him here..

24. ryan Says:
    June 3rd, 2008 at 6:25 pm

    a-rod isn’t 1/10th the gamer that utley is. if a-rod had utley’s sportsmanship, he would hit 1500 homeruns. and besides, Utley, if he keeps this up is also going to go down as one of the greatest of all-time. He will already likely to down as the greatest second basemen of all time.

    a-rod will never will a world series. never! he doesn’t have that competitive fire. he’s a pretty boy fruitcake more interested in tanning than in winning.

25. E Paul Lian Says:
    June 5th, 2008 at 2:39 am

    The Phillies’ Nation is impressive….good, knowledgeable baseball fans. I’m a Johnny Come Lately, but let me into the game. Really, I like your uniforms, Utley, Coste, Rollins & a few others. I live in Scottsdale, AZ but can’t wait to get to your new stadium before the end of summer. Please tell me, is Citizens Park as good as it looks ? Do they sell a good cheese steak? Give me a shot about Philly.

26. E Paul Lian Says:
    June 11th, 2008 at 4:43 pm

    O.K. Guys, thanks for letting me in the game. For the record, one of my favorite things in baseball is a solid line drive up the middle, after straigtening out a nasty curveball. How ’bout a 6-4-3 double play….awesome ! I like getting to the ballpark two hours before game time to watch infield practice….nothing better. My first trip in to Citizens Bank Park is starting to look like late August against the D Backs….can’t wait.

    Is Charly Manuel a big hit in Philly? He & I go back to Minneapolis when he played for the Twins. Has a GREAT sense of humor, a good solid baseball man…they were pegging him back then as a potential Big League manager. I believe the Phillies are World Series candidates….maybe Champions !!

27. E Paul Lian, Scottsdale, AZ Says:
    September 28th, 2008 at 12:53 pm

    OK Guys, we’re in….now let’s do some serious damage in the playoffs. Phillies Phans are awesome….you (we) deserve a World Series title! I did get over to Dodger Stadium for the Phillies-Dodgers series. We got beat, looked tired & somewhat lethargic. The series that followed in San Diego was a little better, the highlight for me though were the fish tacos, for $6.00, the best buy in San Diego. Phillies Phans were all over both LA & San Diego, pretty cool to see, meet & talk with good, solid Philadelphians….hey….I’m a PROUD member of Phiillies Nation !

28. E Paul Lian, Scottsdale, AZ Says:
    October 3rd, 2008 at 7:40 am

    OK guys….we’re up 2-0 and lookin’ good. What FUN this is !! You all deserve this more than me…..but hey…..we’re all on the same team now. Go Go Phillies, one game at a time. And by the way, when do we get Chris Coste back in the lineup?

29. E Paul Lian, Scottsdale, AZ Says:
    October 23rd, 2008 at 12:34 am

    I like it….the Phillies can win it all !! Can’t wait ’til Thursday….let’s get greedy….stomp on Tampa Bay & finish this series off in FIVE (you heard it here….FIVE) games. Go Go Phillies !!

30. E Paul Lian, Scottsdale, AZ Says:
    October 30th, 2008 at 5:55 am

    Wow….Philadelphia is a World Series Champion !! Congratulations guys….you deserve to celebrate. Thanks for letting me share in the fun….Phanatic74, Jeffrey, Geoff, Rick, Ryan, Don M and others….this is all too cool. Enjoy the off season….I’ll check back in time for Spring Training. Wow…..the Phillies Nation are World Series Champions !!

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