OT: Chase Utley

[BlueHen]

Utley suspended for games 3 and 4. Pending appeal.

 

[8893]

Philly people gonna Philly. That's what they do and he is the poster boy for it. He's the same as the guy who bites shoulders in soccer. And MLB is going to make this a point of emphasis now because even the most villainous players in the game know that this is not how you play it.

I am hearing it from players at all levels, from friends who are deeply involved in the game to national players. People who even used to defend him but now say they can't. They have lost any respect they had for him. And these are not Mets fans--far from it. They are just baseball people, players and fans.

He's a dirty player and that was a dirty play. He is a coward because he was gutless and hit the guy from behind when he was defenseless, and he didn't have the sac to man up after the game and say he made a mistake--if that's what it was.

Worst thing is that someone else like Seager, who is a good young player, is probably going to pay for Utley's bush league crap. Utley's just a bench player now, and hurting guys with dirty plays is all he's got left in his bag of tricks.

 

[DarthGrumpy]

I'm a Yankees fan, so no love for either team.

From what I saw, Utley's slide was late and way off the basepath. There was no intent to get to second base. Not only was his only goal in disrupting the play (sliding way off of the basebath), by being so late late and high, he exponentially increased the likelihood of injury to the Short Stop and/or himself. Heck, Utely's helmet likely kept him from being knocked-out cold.

Torre basically had to suspend Utley because 1) his play was likely to cause injury, intended or not, and 2) the umpires blew it big time.

http://espn.go.com/blog/sweetspot/p...at-ruined-everybodys-night-except-the-dodgers

Being a Yankees fan from the '80, I love Mattingly; but his comment - "Mattingly also said before the announcement that Mets fans wouldn't have had a problem with the play had it been made by New York captain David Wright" is wrong. That type of play needs to stay in the '80's.

http://espn.go.com/mlb/playoffs2015...uspended-2-games-slide-broke-ruben-tejada-leg

 

[DarthGrumpy]

This is all true but starting the slide almost at base level ain't remotely kosher. He just wasn't sliding to get to the base. It's gone on for over 100 years so it's nothing new but a rule change is in order. BTW there are a ton of injuries from sliding runners every year. Mets were just snakebit because of when it happened.

Which is why that 'type' of slide has been banned in youth baseball, high school baseball, and college baseball. I think it's even banned in minor league baseball (got to protect the millions invested in those 18 year old arms and legs). At those levels, the slide must in in the basebath and into the base, not to the side at all.

 

[Scoe]

The irony will be if he gets suspended, which is what they're talking about now.

The only person who will benefit is Utley, because it will protect his coward ass from retribution. He's a bench player for them and it does nothing to correct the result for the Mets.

Exactly, and also if he were playing in City Field he would get stuff thrown at him by drunk Mets fans, not to mention he would need major security around him in NYC.

 

[Scoe]

He should also be suspended game 5 as well, I think the main reason Torre decided to suspend him games 3 and 4 so he wouldn't have to play in NY. The whole scene would have been an circus.

 

[8893]

The whole scene would have been an circus.

Get ready for the circus. Looks like the appeal won't be heard today, so he'll be able to play tonight.

Amazing coincidence that the TV ratings will likely skyrocket, right?

 

[8893]

RUSS BENGT$ON ‏@russbengtson 4m4 minutes ago

Even Chase Utley's dog knows he's a bag.

 

[4UConn]

No dog in this hunt (Yankee fan)...but I'm disgusted with the demonization of Chase Utley. Chase Utley has been a great player and team mate in his career, and has been nothing but a credit to the Phillies organization Utley's motivation was simply to aggressively stop the double play and his intent was to go in hard. There was nothing illegal about it. Utley had no intention of hurting Tejada and I'm sure he feels really bad about it. Utley may not have instantaneously realized that Tejada would spin and try to complete the double play either, which directly led to the broken leg. The Mets would be stupid to try and get retribution during the rest of the playoff series and smarter to wait to next Spring.

 

[Excalibur]

No dog in this hunt (Yankee fan)...but I'm disgusted with the demonization of Chase Utley. Chase Utley has been a great player and team mate in his career, and has been nothing but a credit to the Phillies organization Utley's motivation was simply to aggressively stop the double play and his intent was to go in hard. There was nothing illegal about it. Utley had no intention of hurting Tejada and I'm sure he feels really bad about it. Utley may not have instantaneously realized that Tejada would spin and try to complete the double play either, which directly led to the broken leg. The Mets would be stupid to try and get retribution during the rest of the playoff series and smarter to wait to next Spring.

You don't have to have intent to injure for the play to be dirty. It was reckless -- that's more than enough for me -- and not the first time he's done something similar. I have no issue punishing the result as that's the risk you take with a play like that.

 

[8893]

and has been nothing but a credit to the Phillies organization

I agree with this.

He's as Philly as it gets and is as emblematic of the way you the play the game as Bill Cosby is for proper dating etiquette.

 

[4UConn]

I agree with this.

He's as Philly as it gets and is as emblematic of the way you the play the game as Bill Cosby is for proper dating etiquette.

Philadelphia is generally a tough, but great, city. Underestimated IMO.

 

[4UConn]

Maybe worse but no legs broken ... just tough baseball.

 

[8893]

just tough baseball.

This is such a crock. This and the "he just plays hard" line are so tiring and have offended so many legitimate baseball players because they all play hard, and they all know the difference between that and this, which is playing cheap and dirty. If pressed, I think even most Dodgers would admit that. Philly is really the place where players actually think this is how you play the game.

I see a lot of parallels in the practice of law. We all know what is above board and what is not, but we all know of a few lawyers who make their living below board. None of us likes it and we all wish there was much better enforcement of legal ethics by the judges. Lack of enforcement frequently makes it unpleasant and unfair for the rest of us who are playing by the rules, not skirting them.

Utley makes his living skirting the baseball rules. He consciously disregards the known risk to his fellow players from his intentional actions. That is, by definition, "reckless." And he should pay for it.

 

[4UConn]

This is such a crock. This and the "he just plays hard" line are so tiring and have offended so many legitimate baseball players because they all play hard, and they all know the difference between that and this, which is playing cheap and dirty. If pressed, I think even most Dodgers would admit that. Philly is really the place where players actually think this is how you play the game.

I see a lot of parallels in the practice of law. We all know what is above board and what is not, but we all know of a few lawyers who make their living below board. None of us likes it and we all wish there was much better enforcement of legal ethics by the judges. Lack of enforcement frequently makes it unpleasant and unfair for the rest of us who are playing by the rules, not skirting them.

Utley makes his living skirting the baseball rules. He consciously disregards the known risk to his fellow players from his intentional actions. That is, by definition, "reckless." And he should pay for it.

What's a crock is your general generalizations, regarding Philadelphia, among other topics . Spiking and hard slides have been a part of baseball for the last 150 years. Maybe the MLB will support a rule change and I'm OK with that, but until they do, Utley's "slide" didn't violate any rule.

 

[8893]

What's a crock is your general generalizations, regarding Philadelphia, among other topics . Spiking and hard slides have been a part of baseball for the last 150 years. Maybe the MLB will support a rule change and I'm OK with that, but until they do, Utley's "slide" didn't violate any rule.

Yes, that's why he was suspended and has the vast majority of baseball players calling what he did dirty and illegal.

I'll be guided by that, thanks, internet guy.

 

[Excalibur]

Maybe worse but no legs broken ... just tough baseball.

How does a lousy call involving a dirty play from 40 years ago pertain to this?

 

[4UConn]

Yes, that's why he was suspended and has the vast majority of baseball players calling what he did dirty and illegal.

I'll be guided by that, thanks, internet guy.

Knock yourself out, the suspension is BS and the play was legal. The umpires got that right. People can have opinion whether it was "dirty" or not, and they do.

 

[8893]

Knock yourself out

Nah, I'll leave that part to Utley.

 

[joober jones]

Obviously it's not a smart move and it won't/shouldn't happen, but part of me would love seeing Utley tripped up and shoved to the ground by Wilmer Flores after he rounds 2nd base.

 

[Rico444]

Maybe worse but no legs broken ... just tough baseball.

That's back from an era where Bob Gibson would throw at a hitter's head if they bunted off of him. Not sure you're making your point very well here.

 

[BlueHen]

Utley not in the starting line up tonight. Probably for the better.

 

[mauconnfan]

Maybe worse but no legs broken ... just tough baseball.

McRae was dirty too thanks for reminding us of a similar play. What Hal did and Utley did is NOT part of baseball, it's acting beyond the rules and it just shows what little umpires know of the game. You can slide hard and take someone out easily without body blocking them and the 2 we speak of are out of line.

 

[4UConn]

That's back from an era where Bob Gibson would throw at a hitter's head if they bunted off of him. Not sure you're making your point very well here.

The point being it was legal then and it's still legal. BTW, this was 9 or 10 years after Bob Gibson.

 

[pepband99]

What's a crock is your general generalizations, regarding Philadelphia, among other topics . Spiking and hard slides have been a part of baseball for the last 150 years. Maybe the MLB will support a rule change and I'm OK with that, but until they do, Utley's "slide" didn't violate any rule.

Philly is a cesspool, the sports teams are all known for either dirty play (Flyers), jackwagon drunkard law-breaking fans (Eagles), jackwagon players (Phillies, especially the 1993 vintage, if not Utley), and tanking (76ers).

For #$%@5@s sake, you have a jail in the Eagles stadium for 2 iterations - all i need to know!