1 post tagged “world champions”

Apparently the FCC has received 26--count 'em--26 complaints from Mets fans concerned Americans over Chase Utley's use of a Bad Word in his World Series celebration speech. Of course it was vulgar, unnecessary, and immature, but it was also the greatest speech ever made by a sports figure from the perspective of a Philadelphia fan. It was a moment of pure unbridled triumph from a talented, hard-working, but normally reticent young man.

I loved it because, besides being completely hilarious, it was just so thematically perfect coming from Chase Utley. It is, perhaps, something only an English major could fully appreciate. The incident circled back to the All-Star game. Chase was the top vote-getter for both leagues after having a torrid spring. He was certainly popular, handsome, talented, and hard-working despite the talent, always seeking to improve and play his best. He spent hours preparing for each game, watching video and taking batting practice. He and his lovely wife paid for the medical care of a dog badly injured by sociopaths. He was practically Roy Hobbs for cryin' in a bucket. But Chase was quiet, self-effacing, didn't want undue attention. He just wanted to play ball the best he knew how--and we loved him for it.

Then at the All-Star Game Home Run Derby, when Chase was introduced to the New York crowd, he was booed. His response was quite natural, quite funny, and quite unexpected, and, unfortunately for Chase, he forgot he was wearing a live mic on national television when he said it. It immediately endeared him to the Philadelphia fans, who always like it when New Yorkers get told off. There were t-shirts saying, "Boo? F*** you!" on the Internet within hours after the Derby (and they didn't have the asterisks, either). There was a mild brouhaha, but Chase apologized and everyone except the Mets fans understood that These Things Happened and what rocket scientist thought it would be a good idea to mic a professional athlete without a delay, anyway?

The National League lost the All-Star Game, and lost their chance at home field advantage for the World Series. Turned out the National League didn't need no stinkin' home field advantage. The Phightins took it in five--well, maybe five and a half--and Philadelphia exploded with joy. I was in the crowd choking the sidewalks of Market Street when the trucks carrying the players rolled by, their faces joyful, unbelieving of the love being beamed at them by impossible crowds of red-clad, championship-deprived fans. And when they got to the stadium, and Chase Utley took the microphone, he let out all the pent-up emotion and humor he had tried to hide from us for so long. "World Champions!" he said. "World F***ing Champions!"

It was a beautiful moment. Citizens Bank Park exploded, and the co-workers with whom I was watching the stream on the Internet nearly busted a gut laughing. It might have been vulgar and immature, but it had a circular sort of narrative elegance that, as a writer, I admire tremendously. From anyone but Chase it would have just been immature, but after the Home Run Derby incident, he almost had to do it. He was just completing the narrative.