Chase Utley Continues To Give

By Richard Diaz
Love of Sports Correspondent

The fact that the Philadelphia Phillies haven’t won a World Series since 1980 isn’t breaking news.

That being said, they’re definitely not a team that lacks All-Star talent, as the past two seasons have seen Ryan Howard and Jimmy Rollins bring home League MVP honors.

The duo of Rollins and Howard is enough to make any team dangerous, but I guess that’s not enough for Philadelphia. They’re quite possibly en route to a third straight season with the same honor going to a totally different player.

Although Chase Utley is currently in the midst of an ugly hitting streak, you’ve got to love the fact he still has a .291 average with 63 RBI and 22 home runs. On top of that, his 1,743,548 All-Star votes make him the leading vote-getter in the major leagues.

Even though there’s more than half a season left to play, Utley’s an early favorite to win the NL MVP award.

But there’s a side to Chase Utley most people rarely hear about. He’s very involved in an organization that works with dogs. No-no, it’s not what you’re thinking. I’m not talking about a Michael Vick-esque abomination. I’m talking about the first annual “Utley’s All-Star Animals” charity casino night, which was held on May 29, at the F.U.E.L. house in Old City.

The event raised $200,000 for the Etana Fund, which helps to pay for cruelty investigation and prevention programs that are conducted by the Pennsylvania Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (PSPCA).

The event was organized by Chase and his wife, Jen. They were joined by fellow Phillies Rollins, Howard, Jayson Werth, Pat Burrell, Geoff Jenkins, Jamie Moyer, Brett Myers, Kyle Kendrick, Gregg Dobbs, Adam Eaton and Shane Victorino. If nothing else, that goes to show you what a close knit group of guys are on that talented Philadelphia squad.

In addition to that, both Chase and his wife participated in the “Save a Pet at the Park” event, which was hosted by the Phillies Wives. Taking place before a sold out game against the Mets, it featured animals for adoption, raffles and a silent auction.

When all was said and done, the event raised over $33,000, all of which went to the PSPCA. What’s more, the two pet lovers were also featured on Comcast’s Pet Adoption on Demand, which aims to raise awareness about the PSPCA.

As if that weren’t enough, there’s more to Mr. Utley than being an All-Star major leaguer and being genuinely involved in the PSPCA. In 2006, he was honored with the Phillies Community Service Award, which recognizes the player who best exemplifies baseball sportsmanship, community involvement and an overall contribution to the team.

He also helped raise $300,000 for the Philadelphia Futures, which is a mentoring program for inner city high school students. As if accomplishing that feat isn’t enough, he did so by hosting events that included some of the very same youths that would eventually benefit from the proceeds.

I realize many athletes are involved with charitable organizations. However, I’ve got to give up some major love for Chase Utley, who’s a big-time player on the field of play and an even bigger giver off the diamond.