When I told my mother what Chase Utley said last night during the Home Run Derby introductions, she burst into laughter and said, "Good for him." Utley's name was greeted with a chorus of boos--from classless Mets fans, no doubt--at Yankee Stadium. "Boo?" said our man. "[Bleep] you." That cracked up Dan Uggla, standing next to Utley. Too bad, though, that Utley was miked and the delay was not working. Or was the comment allowed by ESPN? After all, ESPN cut away from most of Utley's at-bats to an interview by Erin Andrews with David Wright on 'catching' the Phillies. (Now there's a pair that look way too much alike.) I confess that I heard Utley and assumed he had said 'thank you'. Once the comment was You-Tubed, I'm sure the T-shirt was already in the works. Boo to the Mets fans! If something similar had happened in Philadelphia, the national media would still be having the vapors.
As it turned out, it was quite a derby. Josh Hamilton blew everyone away, then didn't win. Poor Justin Mourneau. There was also much too much of little kids running around with bottles of water and even at one point going up to Hamilton at the plate with a ball to sign. Then there was the weird suitcase thing that Edinson Volquez (the guy Hamilton was traded for) deposited on home plate for him. I watched Utley hit (just 5), then wandered off to do things. I did though see most of Hamilton's majestic 28, hit in his first round. The 71-year-old coach who tossed to him was priceless. Had to agree, too, with Joe Morgan that Hamilton should have been hitting many of his bombs using the special gold ball, which would have benefited select Boys and Girls Clubs. But he went meekly on #10. A pity.
