The Zo Zone

Does Chase feel any pressure to win this year's MVP award, surrounded by the winners of the last 2?

Chase:
1) I know you and your wife are involved with SPCA (society for prevention of animal cruelty), and that you guys donated a ton and adopted some dogs. How many pets do you guys own, what are they (just dogs?), and do you get a chance to do anything specific with them (hunting, agility training, disc dogging etc.) or are they just companions?

2) Do you do fantasy baseball? Who's on your team? How do you usually do?

3) Do you have a hobby you come back to when not playing baseball? How do you and the rest of the guys entertain yourselves on the road?

To what does he credit the influx in offense generated by middle infielders around the league. Is it a league-wide emphasis on offense or just a singular approach some players take?

Good idea, Todd. This should be interesting...

Chase, how do you like playing in Philadelphia, and if you didn't play for the Phillies, who would you want to play for?

When did you decide you wanted to be a professional baseball player, and if you weren't a baseball player what would have you chosen as a career path.

Chase, how does it feel to be a rock star and one of the most highly paid players in Philadelphia?......

Now that you've answered that how does it feel that you have attained this status even though Ryan Howard, Jimmy Rollins, Cole Hamels, Brad Lidge and even Brett Myers mean more to the team than you?....

Now that you have stutered and stammered thru that answer, how does it feel that the team has consistently carried you as demonstrated by them signing Iguchi last year and not missing a beat while you were injured?...

Hey Chase, why didn't you speak up for teammate Ryan Howard last year when they paid him 900k and insulted him in the process.

Chase, don't you think it's time to become more of a vocal leader as opposed to this shy quiet facade you put forth?

Chase, thanks for your time?

Zo, with all due respect, you should ask him at least one tough question. Be a reporter not a cheerleader.

Are you and Freddie Mitchell still close friends from your UCLA days?

Do you feel that playing college ball was an important part of your development into the player you are today? Do you feel that if you went straight to the minors from high school, that you would have still developed into the player you are today?

Did you ever consider putting sugar in the gas tank of John Lieber's monster truck?

So the "Truth" comes out.. Truth just doesn't like Chase Utley, and his biggest problem is that Utley accepted a big pay day, and Howard hasn't. I didn't see any of the other players on the team come out in defense of Ryan Howard's contract, last year or this year - do you know why? Because its none of their business!

QUOTE: Now that you've answered that how does it feel that you have attained this status even though Ryan Howard, Jimmy Rollins, Cole Hamels, Brad Lidge and even Brett Myers mean more to the team than you?....Posted by Truth

- I can't wait until one day when idiots like you aren't allowed access to the internet let alone allowed to engage other members of society.

Chase,

Immediately before the playoffs last year, the man who makes your bats was on the radio and said that you ordered new bats, 1 oz. lighter for the playoffs. Your swing was way off that first playoff game. Did changing bats affect your swing in those games?

Chase,

Who were your favorite players as a teenager?

What other sports did you play well?

If you were a sportswriter, how would you handle players who couldn't stand the sight of you?

Thanks!

This Truth dude needs psychotherapy for his anger problem. Truth, chill with all the vitriole. This is spring training, this is baseball. Find a way to warm your heart, dude.

Maybe we can do an Intervention with Truth. Anybody up for it?

First off, Todd asked for questions to be submitted to him via e-mail.

As for Truth and the idea of a Zo Zone without him... it's a tempting thought, but we need a place for everyone here. Those we agree with, those we don't, those we laugh with, and those we simply laugh at. Truth fills that last bill very well.

Truth, I thought a lot of your prior posts were just the rants of a guy unhappy with the front office. I certainly could understnd that, even though the the constant use of "classless" a tad over the top, but you are certainly entitled to your opinion.

IMHO, your jealousy, anger and misdirected invective toward Utley (team has consistently carried you?) and even Todd (Be a reporter not a cheerleader?) has moved you from "crazy uncle" to "whack job" status. But thanks, you have clarified what "classless" is for me, if not most of us.

You have some serious issues. Get help.

I'm not a regular contibuter, but I am a regular reader of this blog, and I generally enjoy most of the comments...not because I necessarily agree with all of them, but because we're all entitled to our opinion and because most of us are Phillies FANS. It's nice to hear how other real fans feel about certain topics. In regard to this Truth dude, since it is his right to express his opinion, we can't really shut him up. What we can do is ignore everything he says and continue to enjoy this blog and the Phillies in general. He trys to come across as someone who knows things, but we're not be fooled. He obviously gets off on getting under people's skin, so let's take away his fun and ignore him. I do.

How did it feel to be swept out of the playoffs so fast knowing your team wont ever get back their again?

Let me guess Justin, you're a Mets fan, right? How did it feel watching the Mets in the playoffs last year? Oh wait...

Chase, why were you along with the team so tight during the '07 playoffs. Did the spot light and pressure overwhelm you?

Chase, do you think the '07 team earned their playoff bid, or was kind of a fluke?

Chase, why do you feel the team historically starts off so slowly?

Chase, how did you feel when Adam Eaton pitched last year?

Chase, when Ryan Howard put the team literally on his back in '06 and went on that torrid hitting streak in route to the MVP; did you ever feel like you were a bit player.

Chase, how do you feel when CBP becomes electricical when Howard comes up to bat, particularly when the game is on the line.

Chase do you ever feel that life is unfair, like Ryan must?

Truth, you forgot to ask Chase Utley if he thinks the front Office is racist for not offering Ryan Howard a 10 year $500 million contract...

Truth,

Here is a question to ask Chase, "Do you feel that if Ryan Howard had hit closer to .300 instead of hitting .268 and cut his Ks down to say the LOW 100s that you guys would have been ahead of the Mets right out of the gates and probably won 95 or more games?"

Do you see where I'm going here? If you haven't looked Ryan isn't the most vocal of people onthe team either. Actually, they only have one real vocal leader and that's J-Roll, and that may be what ultimately kills this team, too many indians and not enough chiefs. Chase is just as important as any other player on that team. Think back to April and May when Ryan was sporting a .222 average with 9 HRs and 30 RBI, Chase was hitting .298 with 9 HRs and 43 RBI. To say that Chase wasn't as important as some of the other players last year or that he isn't as important as some of this year's players is absolutely ridiculous. EVERYONE on the team has a role, whether it's middle relief, pinch hitter, closer, starter, defensive replacement, or platoon player. Without Chase we probably don't have as many wins and probably don't make the playoffs at all. Without Howard the same thing applies, same with Rollins, Rowand, and yes even Pat Burrell.

What Howard is going through (arbitration)is something that HIS PEOPLE (the players union) wanted to be put in place and the league agreed to it. I don't know about you but I'd take $7 mil for 8-9 months of work in a heartbeat!! The truth is that athletes make a ridiculous amount of money in this time as do the owners but the difference is that while the players have crazy nice cars and huge houses any of their "expenses" are brought upon themselves. The owners aren't only paying the player, they pay announcers, the people that work concessions, people that clean the park, the electric, phone bills, scouts, water, internet providers, the printers that make the tickets, programs, and calendars. They pay for the merchandise that ultimately gets sold to you and I for way over what we should have to pay. Why should they have to pay an extra $3 mil this year when they know that until 2011 when they ultimately have to pay him to keep him that arbitration will make his pay go up by $2.5+ mil every year anyway. Why would I pay you $50 an hour when you can be paid $25 an hour knowing that over the next few years I will be forced to pay you $32, $40, and $50 an hour? Then once you get to $50 an hour you are going to jump to $80-$100 an hour the next year and your price will go further and further up every year.

Wait I got another one for Truth:

Chase do you think it's fair to compare the stats of a guy who hit in the 2 hole for most of 2006 to a guy who hit cleanup most of that season?

Do you think that had you, J-Roll and Abreu not gotten on base so many times in 2006 that Howard would have been able to win the MVP that thhat TRUTH holds so near and dear to his heart and in every ridiculous argument he's ever made?

Do you think that maybe the Phillies should offer Ryan Howard part ownership in the club because evidently even though his average hasn't been steady as of yet and his strikeouts keep going up, TRUTH believes it may be the only way for this "racist" organization to show some reparations for the great injustice of not paying him more than Albert Pujols did in his first year of arbitration?

Hi Chase!

What are your individual goals for the 2008 season?

Did you play any other posistions or sports when you were a kid?

Have you played any pranks on your team mates? Have you have a big prank played on you?

If you weren't a baseball player, what occupation would you have?

Why did you choose "Kashmir" as your song to walk out to when you bat?

Who is the toughest pitcher to face?

Do you follow any other sports? What are your favorite teams?

Nameless, your arguement is pure folly. Obviously, the owners spend alot of money-that was pure genius.
While mentioning the machine that prints the tickets(wow what an expense to a half a billion dollar enterprise). You forget to mention the profit with T.V. contracts, the merchandise sold, the concessions, the FREE stadium, the parking, The 20-50k per night luxury boxes, their percentage of all events held at the sandbox. The considerations to be named later in a trade(usually cash). In case I forgot to mention the FREE satdium.
So while you mention players incured debt. Let's look at the fact that these rich men financed their stadium on the backs of the city population while kids in schools don't have books or internet access.
AND you expect me to feel sorry for them? PLEASE...
Call me angry just don't call me wrong.

hey Chase, don't you think the Truth is a huge douchebag?

yes, we all think so too.

Truth, love dude. Peace. Find yourself. It's baseball, it's sports. Find peace, love, and happiness.

It ain't worth all your garbage. It's not worth it. I'm sorry your childhood was bad and your parents didn't love you. Give it up, you're poison without a point.

Express your point. Freedom of speech. Peace and love. Get over it. What's up? Get Help!

This is the only question I have....

What is it going to take to get this team into the World Series, and win it?

(Hopefully Chase's answer won't sound like Sarge's "Keys to the Game" ....As Well...)

Chase: do you feel that any extra defensive pressure is on the other infielders due to to Ryan Howard's problematic defense, and do you plan to work with him at all during spring training on your ability to make throws he can catch? (I mean, seriously, Howard's inability to catch was an issue last year. Howard's strikeouts, owever, were not. When you strikeout, you are not grounding into a double play.)

Just tell him it's a pleasure to watch him play so hard and to watch the best infield in baseball, the best Philadelphia's ever had (which is saying something).

TRUTH,

YOU'RE WRONG!!! The public paid $174M and the Phillies paid the other $172M which means that the stadium ISN'T free, they did pay close to half and agreed to pay for any overages on construction cost and upkeep of the stadium. Upkeep on the stadium includes re-sodding the field, replacing broken seats, ticket machines (btw I was talking about the company that prints the ticket paper and not the machine itself the first time), attractions, concessions, and since you can't read I'm not sure why I am typing this again but they DO purchase the merchandise before they sell it to the fans. They purchase the food and drinks for concessions also and although they make money off of TV revenue some of that money also goes back out to the worse teams in the league (Royals, Pirates, Rays, Marlins, etc...), it's called revenue sharing (look it up sometime). Not to mention the fact that they pay for travel and hotels for the players and sometime families. Even if it is a private charter they are still paying for the fuel and maintenance on the plane also along with the pilot and staff. What about the spreads that the players have int he locker room post and pre game? My guess is that the players aren't paying for that either.

If you want to talk about folly read all of your posts from the past. As a reader above put it, you for some reason have an issue with the fact that Utley signed a lucrative contract and Howard hasn't. There's a reason the he's reached "rock star status" in philly and it's because he plays hard, he's consistent, and he's generally what is considered a 4 tool player meaning he hits for average, power, fields his position well, and has good speed. He's a smart player that you rarely see get caught in a run down and you never see him give up on a play whether on offense or defense. He's like the Aaron Rowand (with more offensive consistency)of second baseman. There aren't many teams out there that would turn down a chance to get a hard nosed, hustling player like Chase.

Keep in mind I never technically disagreed on with you one the fact that Howard should get paid but we just disagree on the time line that it should happen. I've said let him get one more year under his belt and then hook the man up based upon which batting average he will be more like (the .300+ or the .268) and if he can cut down on the whiffs (I'm talking about cutting down to the 150 range not to sub 100 because that would be crazy). I'm in favor of giving him a Pujols (maybe a $5-10 mil more on the contract not per year)like contract since he is the player most like Howard.

My arguments make sense unlike your basic agrument of racism and being cheap (last I checked a payroll over $100M isn't being cheap). If you owned a business and had to pay all the expenses you could understand a little more how things REALLY work, it's not Monopoly money that they deal with.

Truth- I actually agree with part of what you are saying, which worries me. I have a problem with kids not having textbooks and kids going to class in converted closets when at the same time a government can fork out a big chunk of change to make a sports team happy. Let's not kid ourselves, however, that's not just Philadelphia, that is everywhere.

While that bothers me, it doesn't bother me to the point that I'm not going to watch the Phillies. You might say that's hypocritical; however, I'm not going to stop watching or going to something I enjoy as much as the Phillies and baseball.

If government welfare for a sports team makes you that angry, don't watch or go to the games. No one forces any of us to watch.

Just think of pro sport as entertainment. Just think how much movie stars make per picture. And that's usually not 6+ months work.

But I agree. It's a waste. Which is why I have a huge issue with Howard's arbitration! Don't get me started again!!!

Norma,

I have an issue with movie stars or singers making that much money also(but at least the singer generally go on tour which can be quite stressful). I thought that it was ridiculous amount of money that the networks paid to keep the casts of Friends and Seinfeld together for so long. Either way I believe that entertainers whether in the sports realm, movies or music shouldn't be getting paid as much as they do.

Chase, If the Phillies team needed it or the front office requested it, would you consider a move to play third base?

Can't you guys read? He said EMAIL him the questions, or is it that you're just to lazy.

Truth, I hate you, you're so stupid.

Chase; We've enjoyed great offense from the team the last few years, and last year we started to see better defense played. What do you think of the team defensively this year, and where can the team improve with respect to defense?

Chase,

Last season when you hit a walk off single against the Mets, it looked like you kissed the VUK patch are your arm. Was that the case, or were you doing something else?

Well, Truth demonstrated convincingly that not only is he an a-hole, but also he doesn't know much about baseball. Of course, he doesn't realize this because one of the things that ignorant people are ignorant of is that they are ignorant. But they still should have a say, if only for the amusement of their betters.

Anonymous.....Totally, totally agree!

Wonder how many questions Todd will actually receive for Chase, since nobody seems to be emailing them. LOL! I emailed mine!