Nick Piccone
Chase Utley joined the Mike and Ike Show on 94WIP earlier today and talked about the fans’ reaction to his return last night, how he handles talking to former teammates during the game, the curtain calls and more. Here are some highlights:
On the standing ovation before his first at-bat:
“It’s hard to describe. I was kind of anticipating an ovation, but not nearly that long and that loud. It was so cool. That at-bat went by extremely fast. I just wanted to do my best. I haven’t seen any footage of what it looked like. I just wanted to my best to show my appreciation to the fans because they’ve treated me so well for a long time.”
On his preparation being different for this series:
“Yeah, it was definitely different, for sure. I spent much more time doing interviews prior to the game. I also signed way more autographs than I would normally sign. I usually would use that time right before the game to get loose and warm but I’d been loose ever since I woke up yesterday morning. So I spent some time signing some autographs. It was emotional. I think I said last night, my first at-bat, no joke, it was probably the most nervous I’ve ever been in the batter’s box in my life. I was appreciative of the support, but I was happy when it was over, for sure.
“I wanted to do so well for the fans. It kind of takes you out of your comfort zone, if you will. But that’s okay. It was well worth it.”
On the curtain calls:
“The last thing I want to do is be disrespectful to the Phillies team. That’s the last thing I want to do. Those are situations that you never really put yourself in. I wanted to do a little of what I thought the fans wanted, but at the same time, I didn’t want to disrespect the Phillies team. I hope they aren’t disrespected. I don’t think they are, but you just hope they’re not.”
On him not talking to former teammates:
“Yeah, I was talking to Ryan [Howard]. Ryan has been my teammate for a long, long time. We’re good friends. So, yeah, I’m always going to say hi to him. I think maybe you’re referring to Aaron Rowand. I remember Aaron Rowand came back and he was on second base and I was pretending be mad at him, even though I wasn’t. I wanted to show that I wasn’t going to give in. But, yeah. It was cool. I talked to Ryan before the game a little bit and then when I was on first base. And as much as I don’t like opposing teams hitting homers off our pitcher, I was happy to see him hit a home run.”
On how much longer he wants to play:
“At this point, it’s one [year] at a time, for sure. I’m still enjoying as long as I can be productive and contribute. So, we’ll see. I don’t know. I’m trying to finish out this year strong, and then we’ll go from there. I plan on playing next year, for sure.”
On the next era for the Phillies:
“I think they definitely have some really good, young talent, for sure. I know some are here at the big league level and I think there are some guys waiting for their chance at this level in Double-A and Triple-A. From that aspect, I like their chances.
“The one thing that we were good at as a team back in ’06, 07, ’08 that we all wanted to improve. We all wanted to be the best player we could be. If these guys on this team now and the young guys coming up, if they have that same attitude, I think they’ll be all right.”
Listen to the audio below, courtesy of 94WIP.