Posts tagged ChaseUtley at FanHouse

From the Windup is FanHouse's extended look at a particular portion of America's pastime.

Two questions immediately arise from the recent hosing of the Braves at the hands of Rafael Furcal and his agents, Arn Tellem and Paul Kinzer. First, was misleading Atlanta -- a relatively safe assumption according to both accounts of how negotiations went down -- an ethical business practice? And secondly, are John Schuerholz and Frank Wren doing the smart thing by refusing to ever negotiate with Tellem's clients again?

Because that's what they're planning on doing.

"It was disgusting and unprofessional. We're a proud organization, and we won't allow ourselves to be treated that way. I advised Arn Tellem that whatever players he represents, just scratch us off the list. Take the name of the Atlanta Braves off their speed dial. They can deal with the other 29 clubs, and we'll deal with the other hundred agents."

The second question is a fairly easy one to answer. In a word, "No." The Braves are not, by any stretch of the imagination, forwarding their ability to either extract later revenge on the agents, nor are they giving themselves full access to future free agents by striking themselves off of Tellem's list of clients.

Chase Utley, as you know, said a naughty word on live television after the Phillies won the World Series. Yes, it was inappropriate, and yes, he probably should have thought before he spoke, but considering that Philly really needed a title in any sport, I think most people were willing to overlook the fact that he said "F---" on television.

Okay, maybe not. Turns out the FCC got a whole slew of complaints from prude awesome people.

"If they didn't want such words to be broadcast, they should have aired [it] on a delay to catch any obscene language," wrote a viewer from Philadelphia. "Pull their license to broadcast." Another viewer wrote: "He should be disciplined for his lack of respect towards his fans and in particular the children exposed to such vulgarity. . . . The broadcasters are not at fault. Chase Utley is."

So, yeah, someone -- that being a television station -- will probably get in trouble for this. And then, hopefully, once you add in DVR time, we'll end up watching sports on a 24-hour delay, just to make sure we don't see or hear anything dirty, sexy or violent.

Chase Utley met with reporters yesterday, and after faking everybody out with an exaggerated limp as he walked into the room, he revealed that his recovery from hip surgery three weeks ago has advanced without a hitch.

It's gone so well, in fact, that he's hoping to be ready for Opening Day, a far cry from the worst-case scenario that originally predicted he could miss the first six weeks of the season. The team will have a better idea of his timetable in a few more weeks once he starts to focus more on strengthening the joint, but so far, so good.

Oh, and remember that ill-advised f-bomb he dropped on national TV during the team's World Series celebration rally downtown? He wanted to clarify the poor example he set for Philadelphia's youth. From the Philadelphia Inquirer:

"That was definitely an emotional day that we all had," Utley said. "That drive down Broad Street to the park was one of the best days of my life. I imagine for a lot of Phillies fans it was the same. I could have used different words to express myself. At the time, I didn't. I tell all kids not to use that word. If they're 29 and they win the World Series, I think they can say that. But I definitely would say to all the kids out there, 'Kids, it's a bad word. Don't say it.' And I'm dead serious."

You hear that kids? F-bombs are for winners only!

The Phillies haven't done much to keep Pat Burrell around, and their possible replacement could be Raul Ibanez. Accoring to an ESPN report, Ibanez's top choice is the Phillies, and they are quite enamored with him as well.

The choice would seem a little odd for the Phils, considering the replacement for Burrell would be left-handed in this scenario, just like Ryan Howard and Chase Utley. Having three consecutive left-handers in the middle of the order -- especially when Howard and Ibanez are significantly worse against lefties -- would make things easy on opposing managers late in games.

That being said, Ibanez would be a nice replacement for Burrell. Ibanez -- a late bloomer who finally arrived as an everyday player when he was 30 years old -- has compiled 77 home runs and 338 RBI in the past three seasons, while not dipping below a .350 OBP. This past season was especially impressive, considering how atrocious the Mariners were. Ibanez labored through all 162 games while compiling an impressive .837 OPS.

The champs seem willing to overlook the fact that he's left-handed and instead focus on the offensive boost he'll receive when moving into a respectable lineup.

UPDATE: They got him.

The Jake Peavy sweepstakes just got a ton more interesting. The inclusion of the World Champs always spices things up, you know. That's right, the Philadelphia Phillies are now involved in talks with the Cubs ... and the Padres ... and the Orioles. The scene is now set for a blockbuster deal which would see upwards of seven or eight players switching addresses. Phil Rogers of the Chicago Tribune reports his findings from a meeting with Padres GM Kevin Towers.

Towers told reporters on Monday that the Cubs were the only team he is continuing to talk to about Peavy and that making a Peavy trade was his full focus at the winter meetings. He then went out and proved it by working to facilitate a potentially four-team trade that would send Mark DeRosa to Philadelphia and Felix Pie to Baltimore and bring back pitchers Garrett Olson, J.A. Happ (the Northwestern product) and Sean Marshall for the Padres.

The key for that deal to work is for the Phillies or Orioles to take Jason Marquis, with the Cubs agreeing to eat some of his salary.

I believe this would be a great deal for both the Cubs and Phillies.

The Philadelphia Phillies haven't had much bad news in the past month and a half or so, but today they were dealt a devastating blow. Chase Utley, easily the best second baseman in baseball -- with all due respect to my boy, Mark DeRosa, naturally -- will undergo surgery on his right hip. Jayson Stark reports:

Utley consistently downplayed speculation about his bad hip during the second half of the postseason. But the Phillies revealed Thursday that since the World Series, he has had the hip evaluated by Phillies team physician Michael Ciccotti, of Thomas Jefferson University Hospital's Rothman Institute, and by Dr. Bryan Kelly, of the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York.

Both doctors recommended that Utley undergo surgery on his right hip. That procedure, described by the club as an "arthroscopic evaluation with treatment of any labral or bony injury," will be performed by Dr. Kelly next week.

Indications are that the Phillies expect to have Utley back for opening day of the '09 season, but Will Carroll of Baseball Prospectus states the injury is very serious and could keep Utley out for six months. If that's the case, we're talking six weeks the Phillies would be without their all-star second baseman.

Like I said, a devastating blow.

Footprints in the Snow is FanHouse's look at the paths to be forged by MLB teams this winter as they look ahead to 2009.

As you could probably tell from the parade down Broad Street, everything came together for the Phillies in 2008. Cole Hamels made the leap from No. 1 starter to shutdown ace, Brad Lidge didn't blow a save from April to October and the big three in the lineup kept on churning until the Rays were dispatched and Philadelphia rejoiced for the first time in 25 years.

Hamels, Lidge, Ryan Howard, Jimmy Rollins and Chase Utley will all be in their familiar roles when next season opens. No matter what the Mets do, that nucleus should make the Phillies the favorites in the NL East, not to mention the two steps beyond that, before next season. That doesn't mean there isn't work to do.

You don't need to look any further than Pat Gillick's retirement and Ruben Amaro's ascension to general manager to see how little time there is to celebrate a title before thinking about next year. The Phillies don't need any wholesale changes, but they can't stand pat either. Like sharks, baseball teams need to keep moving or they'll die where they sit.

You'll have to excuse Chase Utley here. After all, winning a World Series is pretty awesome, and when you get to celebrate that achievement in front of all your fans, sometimes the emotion can get the best of you.

So what if your celebratory rally is being broadcast on live television throughout Philadelphia, sometimes you really need that F-bomb to drive your point home. Oh, and the video is NSFW if you haven't figured that out already.


Damn f----n straight.

While the Phillies celebrate a well-deserved World Series victory, life (and business) goes on for Major League Baseball. 65 players filed for free agency on the first day of the filing period for eligible players, and it's a completely normal but somewhat sad thing to see so many building blocks from playoff teams packing up and hittin' the old dusty trail.

Tonight's Dugout is a two-parter to give Philly their mad, Hammer-like propers, to find out where the Dugout regulars who didn't reach the mountaintop might be headed, and to officially end our season with FanHouse. Tomorrow the season starts over again when we find out what the hell happened to the Twins.

Part 1 of 2 is after the jump.

Last year, the Red Sox celebrated their championship by re-signing World Series MVP Mike Lowell and bringing back several other role players. Their only major addition from outside the organization was bench bat Sean Casey. Needless to say, that kind of stability in the era of free agency has become increasingly rare, and the Phillies won't be an exception.

Of course, the Phillies aren't exactly the 1997 Marlins either. They have a strong young core intact. Cole Hamels, Chase Utley, Jimmy Rollins, Ryan Howard and Brad Lidge are all under contract or the club's control for the near future. That five-player spine should be enough to make Philadelphia one of the favorites in the National League next season.

But the status of some of the second-tier players who were integral in the championship run is up in the air heading into the winter. Pat Burrell is at the top of that list. The left fielder is a woeful defender and will never hit for average, but his patience and power will be sorely missed if he signs somewhere else.

Jamie Moyer is also a free agent. He could pitch until he's 50. He could walk off into the sunset. Either way, he made 33 starts for the Phillies during the regular season and three more in the postseason. That too will not be easy to replace.