GAMES – Utley Injury Could Signal End of This Phillies’ Era

I’m a Chase Utley fan and I’m worried about the Phils’ second baseman. No one plays harder than the former UCLA star but the man’s body has often betrayed him in recent years.
The left-handed swinging Utley possesses a short, quick stroke and, when healthy, generates enough leg strength to drive baseballs high and far. But failing knees have derailed what was arguably a potential Hall of Fame career.
Always known for his performance at the plate, Utley worked hard to improve his glove in the busy middle of the diamond. At his peak, he was a slightly above average defender with decent range and throwing accuracy. He played each day with every bit of enthusiasm and desire necessary to produce a champion.
He is a quiet person who prefers to remain out of the bright lights. That can be difficult to do in the instant and round-the-clock electronic news and social media cycles. Perhaps second only to the Big Apple, Philadelphia professional sports teams receive more scrutiny than any other market.
There is no escaping the glare, even for the immensely popular Utley. Increasing numbers of fans are becoming more annoyed that he showed up this spring and once again revealed knee troubles despite earlier assurances from team officials that he would be in the batting order on opening day. The latest setback could put him out for months.
The Phillies are in trouble if Utley is indeed unable to contribute. Most followers agree that he may never return to his productivity of the past, but even with sore knees he should help spark an offense that will be without slugger Ryan Howard for the bulk of the season.
Anyone who believes Howard will simply walk back into the clean-up spot without missing a beat is fooling him or herself. His leg injury was severe and has already endured the complication of infection. Professional athletes with similar maladies don’t effectively rebound for at least 18 to 24 months.
Utley’s understandable desire for privacy is offset by his celebrity status and monumental salary, which is funded largely by the team’s followers. The multitudes of Phillies’ fans cultivate large numbers of sponsors who write advertising checks in return for abundant product exposure in and around the team’s facilities, broadcasts and paraphernalia.
This connect-the-dots scenario makes the argument for more transparency from teams and players who behave mysteriously. Today’s social and news media presence makes it much more difficult to conceal such things. And being silent about injuries or illnesses only provokes more inquiry, which leads to inaccurate and/or speculative commentaries.
What makes Utley’s situation worse is the view that he is a microcosm of the team’s overall decline. The so-called “window” may be closing with injuries to 30-somethings Utley, Howard and Polanco, along with the considerable mileage on veteran hurlers like Roy Halladay and Jose Contreras. How long can a person go on whipping and bending pitches before the wear takes its toll? And what if a counted-upon youngster like Dominic Brown really can’t play?
While these may be “glass half empty” assumptions, they remain viable guesses, especially when secrecy creates rumors of pending retirement or yearlong absence. The team’s payroll is already bursting the budget and that’s with nightly sell-out crowds and 90 percent of the patrons adorned in team apparel.
Utley’s case is most interesting because of the great admiration and respect he’s enjoyed from Phillies’ fans and knowledgeable baseball people across the country. Mike Schmidt was possibly the greatest third baseman to ever lace up spikes, but he encountered plenty of fan discontent. And he played in an era when a “tweet” was something that only a bird did.
Aging professional athletes with joint troubles rarely recover. They live with the discomfort and receive the finest medical care possible for people expected to routinely sprint, leap and twist their bodies any number of times during a contest. Those of us who can plop down at a desk or perform moderately routine work movements can’t possibly relate to the physical demands of a professional player.
The balance is tenuous between the ticket and sweatshirt-buying public’s right to know and the athlete’s right to medical privacy. We’re not asking to see X-rays, but we would appreciate forthright information. Then again, the early spring trade of reliable veteran infielder Wilson Valdez seems to indicate that general manager Ruben Amaro was surprisingly uninformed about the severity of Utley’s latest derailment. No way he’s happy about that.
Utley is a widely respected hard worker and manager Charlie Manual, a baseball lifer, allows his second baseman to handle his own business. Trust is a wonderful thing and it is earned by past behavior and attitude. Utley always performed well, always put in the outstanding effort fans want to see from their heroes and never appeared in a police report.
The team may be at a crossroads as this 2012 season begins. Big money, guaranteed contracts have handcuffed the payroll budget and unless young players unexpectedly step into the breach it could be the beginning of the end of this superb era of Phillies baseball. And Utley’s case could be the first cleat to drop.
Reach Rossi at joerossi61@comcast.net