I've always been a Chase Utley fan.
Bottom line is this. When it comes to him, Jimmy Rollins, Ryan Howard and Cole Hamels, don't hold your breath waiting for me to rip them.
Why?
They gave us a parade. It's that simple.
Having said that, I have been increasingly uneasy about Utley's role with the team. This doesn't have anything to do with his performance going off a cliff in the last couple of years.
He currently residents on the disabled list, nursing a bum ankle that he injured in the offseason.
And that's part of what is bothering me.
As his health has gone downhill, so seemingly has Utley's relationship with the Phils' front office. I don't think Utley did himself - or the team - any favors a few years back when he showed up in Clearwater and announced he was not ready to play. It seemed to take the team by surprise. Utley ended up missing much of the start of the season.
This year there was the ankle injury, which apparently has been bothering him all season. Maybe that's why he's hitting a meek .167.
Before he went on the DL, Utley was at the focus of the storm surrounding manager Ryne Sandberg. It was Utley's berating of pitching coach Bob McClure in the debacle in which outfielder Jeff Francoeur was hung out to dry as an emergency pitcher that seemed to signal that the skipper had lost the clubhouse.
Then there was the fact that Sandberg seemed totally out of the loop when Utley went on the DL.
Maybe that's why GM Ruben Amaro Jr. did not mince words this week when asked if Utley would still be his second baseman when he came off the DL.
Most front office types would handle such a question like a live grenade. Amaro decided to detonate it instead.
Amaro left no doubt where he stood, saying Cesar Hernandez, who was on fire with a 12-game hitting streak and .301 average, was the team's best second baseman.
Many fans believe Utley deserved better, that a guy who was critical to one of the greatest runs in Philly sports history should not have been so unceremoniously thrown under the bus.
I would tend to agree with them.
But I also wonder if Amaro is at the point where he's tired of Utley's act, and feels maybe the icon has not always been up front with the team in terms of his health.
One thing is clear. The Chase Utley Era appears over. And it's ending on an ugly note.
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