Chase Utley strolled back into town yesterday to speak to the media and the fans of Philadelphia. Utley may never have to worry about a paycheck for the rest of his life, but his hard working attitude hasn't changed a bit.
Utley, looking rather dapper while wearing suit, said all the right things.
- “My plan is to stay a Phillie for life”
- “As far as leadership goes, I’m going to continue to play the way I have,” he said. “I think a good leader leads by example. A contract isn’t going to change that. It’s not going to change how I perform, it’s not going to change how I prepare, [and] it’s not going to change how hard I play. It’s not going to change anything like that. [The contract] obviously gives me some security but that’s all it gives me. I’m going to work hard to try and improve every year. It’s going to be no different from here on out.”
- So with the team that has begun to take shape and a new seven-year deal in tow, Utley’s prediction for the Phillies is just as any one would expect: “The sky is the limit.”
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Utley's lovely wife, formerly Jennifer Cooper, was on hand for the press conference and answered some questions herself. She said that the new payday won't change a thing about how Chase prepares himself on the baseball field.
More on Utley over at Balls, Sticks, & Stuff including links to watch the press conference and the original story behind the title of this post.
And with that, we'd like to show you an old video which we just discovered. The pairing in this video isn't completely arbitrary. It involves a former Philadelphia one hit wonder who also happened to play baseball at UCLA. "I'm used to dealing with a crowd of 80,000. Home or away, against me or for me, you know what I'm sayin? This gonna be pretty easy. I got the players out here, once they see the guns. The intimidation factor sets in." FredEx isn't thanking his hands for being so great after his BP performance in this one.
I learned this morning it was actually FredEx who introduced Utley to his now wife Jennifer back when they were at UCLA together.
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Oh how the tides have changed. Freddie was the people's champ after 4th and 26, now he's... well, we don't know what the hell he's doing. Chase Utley was a promising prospect and now he's one half of the dynamic duo that will lead Philly out of sports purgatory.
*WARNING: Freddie Mitchell takes his shirt off*