Happy Halloween

Hi everybody,

I just wanted to wish you all a safe and Happy Halloween!  I'm gonna head out to do some trick-or-treating soon so I figured that I would post this now.  I've had a lot of fun being Little Thor this year and I will post an update of all my Halloween adventures in the next couple days.

Time to fill this sack with candy....

Talk to you soon,
Little Chase

Freddy Galvis and Odubel Herrera are Gold Glove Award Finalists

Hi everybody,

I just wanted to congratulate Phillies shortstop Freddy Gavis and Phillies center-fielder Odubel Herrera for being Gold Glove Award finalists for the 2016 season.  The Gold Glove is awarded to players who have provided excellent defense in their position...which Galvis and Herrera have given the Phillies all this past season.  The winners will be announced on November 8th.  Good luck Freddy and El Torito!

Talk to you soon,
Little Chase

Gettysburg Photo of the Month (October 2016)

Hi everybody,

This month's photo is a picture of the monument to the 94th New York Infantry Regiment.  This monument sits on Doubleday Avenue...where the regiment battled Confederate forces on July 1st, 1863.

Talk to you soon,
Little Chase

Halloween Costume

Hi everybody,

Hope you all are having a fun Halloween season.  I've been enjoying myself but I have also been busy working on my Halloween costume.  It took me awhile to finally decide what I wanted to be because my friends thought I should be an angel but I wanted to be something a little more bad ass.

I'm gonna hold onto these wings. They may come in handy someday....

After some more thought I finally decided to be the Asgardian god and Avenger Thor....or Little Thor if you prefer.

I'm officially a bad ass....

I'm digging this costume.  I hope it gets me lots of candy later today.


Talk to you soon,
Little Chase

2016 Little Chase Season Highlights (10-28-16)

Hi everybody,

This week's season "highlight" occurred while the Phils were in Arizona playing the Diamondbacks.  My pal Gregg Murphy was reporting from the pool area in the Diamondbacks ballpark when I saw him.  I decided that since it was so hot out...I would take a dip in the pool to cool off and say Hi to Murph.

Talk to you soon,
Little Chase

Throwback Thursday (10-27-16)

Hi everybody,

This week's Throwback Thursday moment is from last month's trip to Charleston, South Carolina.  This picture was taken at the Charleston Tea Plantation....where my friends and I enjoyed some delicious tea.

Talk to you soon,
Little Chase

National Pumpkin Day

Hi everybody,

Just wanted to wish everyone a Happy National Pumpkin Day.  I hope you all get a chance to eat some pumpkin flavored items or carve a pumpkin today.  I know that I plan on celebrating by chowing down on some Krispy Kreme Pumpkin Spice Original Glazed Doughnuts with my pal Little Sherlock.

The revealing of  the Pumpkin Spice Doughnuts from Krispy Kreme...

Almost time to eat a few of these bad boys....

Admiring the doughnuts with my pal Little Sherlock...

Talk to you soon,
Little Chase

Chase Utley Photo of the Week (10-26-16)

Hi everybody,

I'm still feeling nostalgic about Ryan Howard's last game with the Phils so once again he joins Chase as part of the Photo of the Week.  It looks like Chase and Ryan are getting ready to bat.  I wouldn't be surprised if they both hit Home Runs after this photo was taken.

Talk to you soon,
Little Chase

2016 Little Chase Season Highlights (10-21-16)

Hi everybody,

This week's season "highlight" comes from the Phillie Phanatic's birthday party earlier in the season.  While the Phanatic was celebrating on the field with his pals...I was able to sneak onto the field and join in the festivities.  Nobody seemed to mind and we all had a great time.

Talk to you soon,
Little Chase

Throwback Thursday (10-20-16)

Hi everybody,

This week's Throwback Thursday moment is yet another picture from my trip to Charleston, South Carolina last month.  This picture was taken on Sullivan's Island at a building my friends and I refer to as the Pirate Church.  The Pirate Church is located near Fort Moultrie as well as Poe's Tavern (which has some pretty good burgers) and is one of the coolest buildings on the island.

I must say that Sullivan's Island is a really nice place to visit while in Charleston.  My friends and I enjoyed our time there so much that we even thought up a little jingle about Sullivan's Island...which I may share with you all someday.

Talk to you soon,
Little Chase

Chase Utley Photo of the Week (10-19-16)

Hi everybody,

This week's photo is another picture of Chase with Ryan Howard.  It looks like Chase and the Big Piece are being congratulated for some good fielding.  I'm betting it was a double play.

Talk to you soon,
Little Chase

Charleston Photo of the Month (October 2016)

Hi everybody,

This month's Charleston photo is a shot taken during my vacation last month and is a nighttime picture of St. Philip's Episcopal Church in the Historic District.  This is one of my favorite places to visit in all of Charleston.

Talk to you soon,
Little Chase

2016 Little Chase Season Highlights (10-14-16)

Hi everybody,

This week's season "highlight" comes from Comic-Con where my "friend" Benedict Cumberbatch was showing off the new Little Chase action figure.  This figure should be a huge hit when it is released and I thank Benny C for showing it off to the Comic-Con crowd.

Talk to you soon,
Little Chase

Throwback Thursday (10-13-16)

Hi everybody,

This week's Throwback Thursday moment is another picture from my vacation to Charleston, South Carolina last month.  This pic is a shot outside Poogan's Porch where my friends and I stopped to eat an amazing lunch.

Time to eat some chow...

Talk to you soon,
Little Chase

Chase Utley Photo of the Week (10-12-16)

Hi everybody,

This week's photo is another Chase pic with Ryan Howard and Jimmy Rollins.  Along with Cole Hamels and Carlos Ruiz...Chase, Jimmy and the Big Piece were the core of the Phillies playoff run from 2007-2011.  I miss seeing them in Phillies pinstripes.

Talk to you soon,
Little Chase

Odubel Herrera Chosen As Phillies Nominee for 2016 Hank Aaron Award

Hi everybody,

I just wanted to congratulate Phillies outfielder Odubel Herrera for being selected as the Phillies player up for the 2016 Hank Aaron Award.  The Hank Aaron Award is given to the top offensive player in both the American and National Leagues.  The award will be presented to the winners during the World Series.  Congrats for being chosen as the Phils player up for the award, El Torito!

Talk to you soon,
Little Chase

2016 Little Chase Season Highlights (10-7-16)

Hi everybody,

With another season of Phillies baseball in the rear view mirror....it's time to start posting the 2016 Little Chase Season Highlights.  Once again I have been busy during this Phillies season doing various wacky antics.  Some of these "adventures" may be known and some may not.

So on every Friday for the next few months...I will post a new pic of a different 2016 "highlight".  I hope you all enjoy my adventures and if you want to check out my 2015 adventures, just click on this link (2015 Little Chase Season Highlights).

My first "highlight" happened during one of the many times that I snuck into the CSN studios.  Amy Fadool was on air doing the Morning Minute so I decided to jump into the shot and say Hi!  Ms. Fadool is a good sport and lucky for me didn't seem to mind my shenanigans.

Talk to you soon,
Little Chase

Throwback Thursday (10-6-16)

Hi everybody,

This week's Throwback Thursday moment is from my vacation last month to Charleston, South Carolina....where my friends and I spent almost a week visiting.  This picture is of the Old Charleston Jail, which is located in the Historic District of the city.  The jail (which was in operation from 1802 to 1939) housed some of the most infamous criminals in Charleston history and is supposedly haunted.

Sorry for the vacay beard but I was too lazy to shave...

Talk to you soon,
Little Chase

Chase Utley Photo of the Week (10-5-16)

Hi everybody,

This week's photo is from happier times when Chase and Ryan Howard were both on the Phillies.  With Ryan Howard playing his last game as a Phillie on Sunday (October 2nd)...this picture makes me sad and happy at the same time.

Talk to you soon,
Little Chase

Time to Put My Phils Jersey Away

Hi everybody,

With the 2016 season coming to a close...it's time for me to put my Phillies jersey away.  Will still be watching playoff baseball and rooting for Chase, Chooch and Cole as well as watching Eagles football but this time of year is always a little sad for me.  I'll miss watching the Phils every night and bummed that the winning era from 2007-2011 is officially over with the Big Piece leaving.

We'll still have some fun on the blog though and before you know it...it will be time to put that Phils jersey back on again.

See you in 2017 Phillies...

Talk to you soon,
Little Chase

Ryan Howard Honored by the Phillies and the Fans on the Last Day of the 2016 Season

Hi everybody,

Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard was honored by the organization and fans with a 15-minute ceremony before the final game of the season that celebrated his time here in Philadelphia.

Howard (who is not expected to return next season) was honored with a video tribute showing many of his career highlights.  He was also informed that a plaque was being placed in Section 145, Row 7 to mark the spot where his club-record 58th home run landed in 2006.  He also received a replica of that plaque as well as hand-painted glove from the Phillies.

Howard Plaque

After all that, the Big Piece emotionally addressed the crowd:

This is crazy.

[applause]

All this has kind of come up on me really fast. I really didn't know what I was going to say.

[Fan: We love you, Ryan!]

I love you, too.

[applause]

I just want to thank you guys, the fans, again for making this all possible. For making it fun. We had some good runs, didn't we?

[applause]

I'm just a laid-back cat from St. Louis out here trying to play ball. That's it. It's been fun, man, these last 12 years. You guys all made it possible. The Phillies, I want to thank you guys for taking a kid in the fifth round out of, well now it's Missouri State, but Southwest Missouri State University. Giving me the opportunity. This city as a whole, man. I want to thank you because I've grown with all of you.

[applause]

My family has grown with all of you.

[applause]

On behalf of my teammates, I want to thank you guys for coming out and supporting us all year. I know it's been up and down and crazy, but these guys have really worked their butts off to try to be the best that they can each day and each night on this field. To my teammates, I salute you.

[applause]

I don't really have too much more than that, man. This is great. Thank you again from the bottom of my heart. Let's play this game, man. Let's play this game.


Every time Howard came up to bat throughout the game...he was met with a standing ovation.  When he was pulled from the game in the top of the ninth inning, he was able to receive one last standing ovation from the Phillies fans.

With Howard's imminent departure...the era of success from 2007-2011 sadly comes to an end.  I wish you luck for the remainder of your career Big Man and I look forward to the day your Wall of Fame plaque is placed in Citizens Bank Park.  You will always be a Phillie to me!  Thank you, Big Piece!

Talk to you soon,
Little Chase

Final Chase Utley Dodgers Stats for the 2016 Regular Season

Hi everybody,

Here are Chase's final batting stats for the 2016 regular season:



Games Played = 138
At Bats = 512
Runs Scored = 79
Hits = 129
Doubles = 26
Triples = 3
Home Runs = 14
RBIs = 52
Walks = 40
Strike Outs = 115
Stolen Bases = 2
Caught Stealing = 2
Batting Average = .252
On Base Percentage = .319
Slugging Percentage = .396
On Base + Slugging Percentage = .716


Chase's has stayed fairly consistent through the end of the season.  I hope he continues to play well in the postseason and gets to the World Series.

Talk to you soon,
Little Chase

2016 NL East Final Standings

Hi everybody:

Here are the final standings for the NL East this season:



NL East                                      W         L         PCT          GB

Washington Nationals             95        67         .586            --
New York Mets                         87        75        .537             8 
Miami Marlins                           79         82       .491          15.5
Philadelphia Phillies                71        91        .438           24
Atlanta Braves                          68        93        .422          26.5


The Phillies ended the season with eight more wins than they had in the 2015 season (63-99).  They also finished in fourth place in the division rather than in the basement. Hopefully we shall see even more improvement in 2017.

Talk to you soon,
Little Chase

Game 162: Mets (87-74) at Phillies (70-91)

Hi everybody,

Here is the score of yesterday's game:

New York Mets:                          2
Philadelphia Phillies:                 5


SP:   Jerad Eickhoff

WP:   Colton Murray (1-1)
SV:    Hector Neris (2)


RBIs:

Maikel Franco = 1 (88)
Cesar Hernandez = 1 (39)
Jimmy Paredes = 1 (17)
Aaron Altherr = 1 (23)

Runs Scored:

Cesar Hernandez = 1 (67)
Maikel Franco = 1 (67)
Andres Blanco = 1 (26)
Aaron Altherr = 1 (23)
Cody Asche = 1 (22)


The Phillies finish the season with a record of 71-91 and that my friends is that...except for one more thing.  Thank you Ryan Howard!

Talk to you soon,
Little Chase

Game 161: Mets (86-74) at Phillies (70-90)

Hi everybody,

Here is the score of the game on Saturday, October 1st:

New York Mets:                          5
Philadelphia Phillies:                 3

SP:   Phil Klein

LP:   Patrick Schuster (0-1)


RBIs:

Ryan Howard = 2 (59)
Darin Ruf = 1 (9)

Home Runs:

Ryan Howard = 1 (25)
Darin Ruf = 1 (3)

Runs Scored:

Maikel Franco = 1 (66)
Ryan Howard = 1 (35)
Darin Ruf = 1 (8)


Talk to you soon,
Little Chase

Game 160: Mets (85-74) at Phillies (70-89)

Hi everybody,

Here is the score of the game on Friday, September 30th:

New York Mets:                          5
Philadelphia Phillies:                 1

SP:   Alec Asher

LP:   Alec Asher (2-1)


RBIs:

Cameron Rupp = 1 (54)

Runs Scored:

Maikel Franco = 1 (65)


Talk to you soon,
Little Chase