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Ed Barkowitz: Reggie Jackson sings Utley's praises

MR. OCTOBER finally met Mr. November, and he was very impressed. Reggie Jackson, who cemented his legend by hitting .357 in 27 World Series games when the World Series used to be played in October, sought out Chase

Chase Utley hit five home runs in the 2009 World Series, tying Reggie Jackson's series record. (Steve Falk / Staff photographer)
Chase Utley hit five home runs in the 2009 World Series, tying Reggie Jackson's series record. (Steve Falk / Staff photographer)Read more

MR. OCTOBER finally met Mr. November, and he was very impressed.

Reggie Jackson, who cemented his legend by hitting .357 in 27 World Series games when the World Series used to be played in October, sought out Chase

Utley before last night's game.

He had to duck through Shane Victorino and around Carlos Ruiz, but he eventually caught up to the Phillies second baseman. The chat was brief, but eventually could be like those old pictures of Babe Ruth and Ted Williams standing together - give or take a few hundred homers.

Jackson, the Cheltenham High grad who now serves as a special adviser for the Yanks, set the record for homers in a single World Series with five in 1977 against the Dodgers. Utley tied him with his second two-homer game on Monday. The biggest difference between the two accomplishments was that Jackson did it while leading the Yankees to the championship. Utley's Phillies were down in the series when he hit Nos. 4 and 5 on Monday.

"He doesn't really care about it that much," Jackson said before last night's game. "They're down, 3-2, and that's where he's at [mentally], and I admire that. I admire that professionalism."

It is all about winning the World Series, but they've been playing the World Series since 1903 and only two guys have dominated like this offensively. It is notable.

"He reminds me of what you might call old school: 'Records are nice, but we're down, 3-2,' " Jackson said Utley said. "The talk is really about winning. You'd rather hit three home runs and win the World Series than hit seven and not. I'm known for the postseason, not what I did during the [regular] season - and I had a pretty good career."

Where's Willie?

Speaking of tied records, where's Willie Wilson?

Glad you asked.

Ryan Howard's eighth-inning strikeout was his 13th of the series and erased Wilson's dubious record set in 1980.

Howard's trouble with strikeouts is nothing new. He has struck out at least 180 times each of the last 4 years.

Wilson's struggles were puzzling. He wasn't a slugger, he was a leadoff hitter; and 1980 was his best season. Wilson hit .326 for the Royals that year and finished fourth in the AL MVP voting. His World Series misery was confounding and ended only when Tug McGraw struck him out to clinch the Phillies' first title.

Wilson redeemed himself in 1985, when he helped lead the Royals to the franchise's only title. He hit .367 that World Series as Kansas City came back from a 3-1 deficit to stun the Cardinals in seven.

Today, he runs the Kansas City-based Willie Wilson Baseball foundation, which tries to provide dental care for underprivileged children. Wilson, 54, couldn't be reached for comment, but the foundation's slogan of "Changing children's lives, one smile at a time" is appropriate.

Now he's off the hook. That oughta make him smile.

Calendar watch

Baseball's not doing fans any favors by playing into November, especially fans in cold cities. The extra round of playoffs (since 1995) and now the World Baseball Classic are stretching out the schedule; and you know it's only a matter of time before League Division Series move from five to seven games. Imagine the potential problems of a Rockies-Twins World Series now that the Twinkies are moving to an outdoor stadium.

Calendar watch II

Feb. 14, 2010, is a little less than 15 weeks away. Point that out, because that'll be the length of the Phillies' offseason if they decide that pitchers and catchers should report on the same date as they did in 2009.

He's not an intern

The most popular member among the credentialed media last night undoubtedly was Biff Henderson, the guy best known as the stage manager for David Letterman's show.

Ryan Howard playfully grabbed the diminutive, husky Henderson and said, "Let me rub your bald head for good luck."

Around the stadium

Criticize them for being obnoxious, but Yankees fans can be clever. The $20 "Who's Your Daddy" shirts weren't nearly as good as the ones congratulating the Mets on their threepeat of collapses in 2007, 2008 and 2009 . . . No idea what the guy dressed as a full-blown pirate was supposed to be, standing at the corner of 161st and River, but he sure had people thirsting for a Captain Morgan and Coke . . . Valet parking at the NYY Steak restaurant, located in Yankee Stadium, is $10 during the regular season, $30 during the playoffs and $50 during the World Series . . . Somebody was dressed in a SpongeBob costume hawking $2 tips. Not sure what he was doing to deserve the $2 unless he was hoping 25 people would help him valet his car . . . Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher attended the game as a guest of Yankees manager Joe Girardi. The two became pals when Girardi was a player with the Cubs from 2000 to '02. Urlacher, out for the season with a broken wrist, told the Associated Press: "I just like to watch sports. They're great athletes, and I'm excited to see it up close like this." Wonder whether he tipped the SpongeBob guy. *

Send e-mail to barkowe@phillynews.com.