Fans would dine with Chase Utley

So here's the deal: You get to invite any of the top stars in Philadelphia sports over to the house for dinner. We're talking hypothetically, of course, but just say you have that opportunity.

Who would you invite? Ryan Howard? DeSean Jackson? Mike Richards?

And what would you serve them? Would you go Italian? Send out for Chinese? Or perhaps you have a favorite dish that has been passed down through the generations?

We asked you whom would you like to have over in the survey we conducted with the Sport Industry Research Center at Temple University and you chose to chow down with Chase Utley. The Phillies' All-Star second baseman received 56 percent of the vote, and was followed by teammates Ryan Howard (41), Jimmy Rollins (31) and Roy Halladay (29). Respondents were allowed to choose three guests from a group of 15.

Told of his selection, Chase Utley was speechless, hardly a surprise given the fact that he is always speechless.

"I'm honored," he said.

Asked what he would like to be served, Utley said: "Whatever their specialty is."

So along with the pot roast, you'll have to provide the conversation. But you asked for him, and we were curious to know why. No one has been a more valuable member of the Phillies, but as dinner companion, he would seem to have the appeal of an empty chair.

So . . . why Chase?

"Chase seems like a good guy," said Adam Mazzola, of Pitman, N.J. "I would love to get the chance to talk with him and see what makes him tick."

Mazzola said he would "either grill something or go Italian."

Bill Moore, of Mantua, N.J., said Utley "is a good choice, because he is a down-to-earth guy."

And what would be the specialty of the house? "I would probably serve him pork tenderloin," he said. "And a lot of beverage of his choice."

Rosemary L'Erario, of Eastampton, N.J., said she would lean more upscale in terms of what she would serve: Either "grilled dry-aged steak or cedar-plank salmon with homegrown organic asparagus, and fresh picked salad from our garden."

Joe Messina, of Philadelphia, would invite Utley because "he is a gamer who comes to the park every day to play. Philly people love that in a player." Because Utley is from California, Messina said he would probably serve sushi.

Stephen Starr, of Ambler, said that Utley is "the antithesis of what you would expect a SoCal person to be. He is the perfect Philadelphia athlete: Plays hard, plays hurt, gets dirty and curses." Consequently, Starr would serve Utley the quintessential Philadelphia dish: a cheesesteak with provolone cheese and hot sauce, smothered with friend onions.

Bill Smith, of Holland, Pa., said that Utley "fits the personality of the city." The dinner selection would be an old family recipe. "My mom was born in Italy, so I would make her lasagna," said Smith. "It's awesome."

Having Utley over did not appeal to everyone. Bill Siple, of Berwyn, said he "did not understand that choice."

"I like him as a player, but his extreme lack of emotion or expression or even a smile becomes hard to take," Siple added. "Let alone having him behave that way if I had him over to dinner - only if he brought his wife!"

Irvin Rosen, of Philadelphia, agreed that Utley would not be an engaging dinner guest. He said, "I think Chase would be kind of boring."

Daily News sports writer David Murphy contributed to this report.