Utley Drops Bombs and F-Bombs
Chase Utley dropped the F-bomb on TV last night. This doesn't make him a bad guy.
Utley Drops Bombs and F-Bombs
Todd Zolecki
Chase Utley grimances, and not because ESPN threw him under the bus last night at Yankee Stadium. (JIM McISAAC / Getty Images)
New York Mets fans booed Chase Utley last night at Yankee Stadium, where he competed in the Home Run Derby.
His response?
I'm sure we're shocked -- shocked! -- that a baseball player uttered such words. I mean, I know I've never heard or used such language in my life. And to direct such words towards Mets fans! I mean, that has never happened before. Because we just know Mets fans are some of the classiest fans in the world and deserve our utmost respect. But unfortunately for Utley, ESPN broadcast Utley's words over live TV for millions of viewers to hear. (If I'm Utley, I'm never wearing a wireless microphone again.)
"It was an unfortunate mistake," ESPN's manager of communications Nate Smeltz said in a statement. "We apologize to our viewers.
"There was a five-second delay in place for the competition, though this took place during the introductions."
To make matters worse, Utley hit just five home runs in the first round to fail to advance to the semi-finals.
Phillies fans' response?
"That's a (bleeping) shame."
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Brad Lidge has come a long way since Albert Pujols hit a bomb (different than a f-bomb) off him in the National League championshp series in 2005.
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Jim Salisbury describes the incredible scene that will come tonight at Yankee Stadium.
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In the All-Star Game Notebook: Alex Rodriguez talks about Madonna, Ryan Dempster relates to Brett Myers, Bill Giles likes his chances and J.D. Drew talks about Phillies fans.
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Bob Ford writes about how Charlie Manuel has become a lot smarter now that the Phillies are defending NL East champs.
Comments (42)
In seeking out this clip on YouTube I was reminded of the "punking" of Kyle Kendrick in Spring Training. Then, as I watched merry prankster Bret Myers, I was reminded of Larry Bowa once telling me about the harsh retribution of the Baseball Gods.— frankenslade- You too, Zo? Let it go man, let it go....— Reggie Noble
- Utley really deserves MVP consideration now! LOL!— KarenA
- poor choice of words but who really gives a sh*t? i guess met fans are still bitter after all.— davemarsh
Comment removed.- Five? Only Five?..Not very good, Chase "F.U." Utley. They should have booed you when you were done.— The Wizard
- Of all the players in baseball to boo, they pick Utley? Really? Must've been the uniform.— Jeffrey
- Utley made his biggest mistake by participating in the contest. Why?— wmontanez27
- On a somewhat different tack, I personally am glad Utley performed as he did in the competition. It was clear he used his normal "game" swing, which produced his line drives but didn't result in homer after homer the way the elevated swings of the other guys did. So, there's no chance of his messing up his second half the way Abreu did due to an altered swing or altered self-expectations. Also, being out in the first round, there should be no exhaustion factor for him coming out of the All-Star break (which, frankly, I expect to see from Hamilton).— marty
- NY sucks...Not just the the teams but the fans. The Metinos choked last year and the Yankees are choking this year. The Knicks are the laughers of the NBA (fire Isiah)and recent news that Eli Manning and Jeremy Shockey are having a Brokeback Mountain moment can't make any NY fan happy. I guess envy is fueling their hate towards Chase and the first place Phillies. In case not everyone heard Chase last night....."%&*$ you NY! Jim from Lehigh Valley— Yankees stink
- NY sucks...Not just the the teams but the fans. The Metinos choked last year and the Yankees are choking this year. The Knicks are the laughers of the NBA (fire Isiah)and recent news that Eli Manning and Jeremy Shockey are having a Brokeback Mountain moment can't make any NY fan happy. I guess envy is fueling their hate towards Chase and the first place Phillies. In case not everyone heard Chase last night....."%&*$ you NY! Jim from Lehigh Valley— Yankees stink
I'm more convinced than ever that Chase just didn't belong there last night. That said, I think he's one of the 10 best players in baseball and here's to hoping that he comes back from the break ready to start fresh and kick a$$. Ryan Howard or Pat Burrell would have been much more at home in that contest. I actually think Howard could have won it, given the format, if he got into a groove. Shame that Chase of all people gets burned by the wireless mic. ESPN really botched the delay safety net.— bobby- Tell Bob Ford that the reason the Manuel is smarter is not that they are winning, it's that he has Jimy Williams to tell him what to do.— RichNC
Why wasn't A-Rod, Matt Holliday or Chipper Jones (Ortiz and Soriano are hurt) swinging last night? The HR contest really isn't that. It's ulterior meaning is just a way for MLB to showcase the rising young stars or first time All Stars. (Pat the Bat, where were you?) The only reason Utley got asked is becasue of his power surge this year. After last night's performance, they won't ask him back. I doubt if Howard would have particiapted if he was there. He would be a ringer with too much (prestige) to lose against that realtively weak field.— RAS- I hope he apologized to his mother. As for me, an inveterate fan of everything sports Philadelphia, I am enshrining him right now as the one player we have with "good face". He goes from being the quiet man to our version of the ultimate tough guy, Ted Williams. Believe me when I tell you (I'm old engough to remember Teddy Ballgame vividly) that nobody, but nobody "F...d" with him. I have a feeling it's the same way with Utley. This year 39% of his fellow National Leaguers voted for him as the best player in the league. They also voted for him as the "dirtiest" player in the league. Not what it sounds like. It's a comnpliment. By the dirtiest, they meant the one guy who gets the most dirt on his uniform, ie, the "hustlingest" guy they face. You go Chase Utley, now call your mother and tell her you sorry for embarrassing her in front of a national audience..You don't have to apologize to us, we root for your kind of player every minute of the game. You were born to play here.— jp
- I'll give Chase credit-at least he showed some VERBAL passion and indignation!!!!Way to go Chase!— Truth
- Thanks for putting the proper spin on this, Zo. NOBODY ever curses in baseball! LOL! Glad ESPN took the responsibility of botching the *5 second delay*. And for those of you that thought Chase was classless, *cough* The Wizard *cough*.....how classless were the Mets fans for booing him in the first place?! Chase....You're our hero!!!!— Norma
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- Slow news day? Here's one to choke down with your lunch. The NY Post is reporting that the Phillies are one of nine teams keeping close tabs on Freddie Garcia. Unbelievable.... http://www.nypost.com/seven/07152008/sports/yankees/yankees_and_mets_eye_garcia_119986.htm— RAS
- I watched a new show on CSN with Michael Barkann and one of the panelist was Mike Schmidt. They were discussing how to become a likeable player in Phila. Schmidt suggested crashing into a wall a la Rowand. Well I think Utley has "hit his wall" and will forever be enshrined in Philly sports lore. RAS: Ya gotta be kidding me?! Maybe its the NY press "taunting" Phillies fans--lol— KarenA
- Karen A......I LOVE IT! What a great analogy! And they have GOT to be kidding about Garcia! The fans will riot!— Norma
- Does anyone think this will bring Utley out of his clubhouse shell now that he is embroiled in a mini controversy on a national scale and survived? Not only has he survived but he has probably solidified his standing in this city with his words? I'm hoping this is the dawn of a new Chase.— Truth
- Is it me, or did Chase Utley did just cement himself as a true "Philly Type Athlete". Aaron Rowand running into a wall. Brian Dawkins changing from a docile "man of God" into a violent whack job every Sunday just before kickoff, Larry Bowa, Bobby Clarke, Allen Iverson, Charles Barkely, Mo Cheeks, Jeremiah Trotter, you know the list. This guy did what we all want to do to NY and NY fans, and he did it when he had a national audience. Appropriate? Maybe not, but "Philly-like", You bet your a**.— phillybob
- I love it! I think Utley was too kind to those New York sewer rats...yeah, I'm talking to you Wiz. You're a rat that was nowhere to be found for 3 months while your team s*cked and your "classy" organization sent their manager all the way out west for one game fired him after a win at 3 in the morning. Utley probably doesn't know it, but he was speaking for every sports fan in the Delaware Valley. Wiz, take your stinking, sewer rat, New York Mutt loving rear end and go to metblog or something...or do we have to wait two weeks when the Mets are 5 games out again and you crawl back under that rock you were hiding under since April?— Billy The Kid
- Chase deserves a standing O at the next home game.— phink
- Typical Classless Philadelphians.. heres a little something something...: It's Been 9177 Days 13 Hours Since the last major Sport Championship in the City of Philadelphia....Don't hate Appreciate...— BeatWritersSuck
- I hope that's included on the Chase Utley DVD that the Phillies will put out when he is inductd into the Hall of Fame.— jimmymack
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- philyl fans are the msot arrogant fans out there... worse then new yorkers... philly is the msot violent city in the US and has the dumbest sports fans... who stil lare on mcnabb by the way hahah... chase isnt a hall of famer... hes an idiot... like philly— nyy76
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- And why the f*** do NY fans post on this blog anyway???? LOL! We have NO interest in your opinions of OUR team!— Norma
- nyy76, learn to spell. If you're going to show disrespect at least spell right so we can understand your gibberish. Also, get your info right, Philly isn't the most violent city in the US. In fact it isn't even in the top 5...research before you trash talk.— cg
- We the fans should be embarrased that we didnt vote in Howard and Rollins!! The TWO reigning MVP's from the last two years and we the fans dont vote them in??? I dont care how bad we thought they may have been playing, we should have showed them respect and voted them in!!!!!— Clinton, NJ
- Best All Star Game in years! Good thing Lidge's 1st blown save of the year doesn't count! I wonder if Hurdle wishes he could have kept Chase in? Uggla sure didn't have a very good game. LOL!— Norma
- Wow, bad showing for the NL east tonight, 5-19 at the plate, a blown hold, a loss, and 4 errors. They simply didn't want the home field advantage. I hope this doesn't get Lidge back in a funk, more importantly, I hope this isn't the Lidge we see in big games. Why in the world did Hurdle hold onto McCann that long without letting him hit? He's pretty good in the clutch. Also, why not leave Webb in for a second inning? Webb could have easily gone 2 innings. Hurdle played his cards wrong and in the end it cost the NL. No one could have seen it go as long as it did but Kazmir was the last pitcher they had and he was on a 25 pitch count (he was at 14 at the end of that inning). If Hurdle let Webb pitch one more the AL would have had to put a position player in to pitch the next inning and the NL could have given Lidge a good lead to work with.— cg
- I've got to say though, that was an excellent throw by Hart at the end. The fans may have gotten that vote right after all, I'm not sure Pat would have gotten to that ball let alone been able to throw him out (even though Pat does have a pretty good arm).— cg
Go Chase F NY.....LOve ya man- Zo, no offense, but Buster Olney already does a pretty good job of summarizing sports articles on his blog. Including the ones you posted here. You might want to try another format.
- Chase, you say what you want. Everyone else- flush twice, it's a long way to New York City.— KMG
- haha I found it pretty funny that Billy Wagner blew the lead in the eighth. too bad Lidge couldn't keep it together, although I didn't think the game was too great.— modestSEAN
- Why are they booing Utley... since when are the Phillies a rival of the Yanks? I understand them booing the Sox players, but Utley? I love that he made that comment… shows some Philly attitude. BTW… I’m also tired of Philly fans getting a bad rap with the whole Santa Claus business. You ever go to a Phillies game with Mets fans? What a bunch of tools!— Emarsh
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