http://philadelphia.phillies.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20081120&content_id=3686087&vkey=news_phi&fext=.jsp&c_id=phi

guess I’d rather have him not be broken, though.

Pretty amazing that he played through this for so f’in long. He hurt it no later than August, maybe before then. “Tough” is an understatement.

This probably does mean that Donald gets a long, or longer, look at the keystone in ST, and could also clear the way for Iguchi to come back.

Why couldn’t this have been determined on October 30th, with surgery on October 31? (Or I’ll give you November 1 for the surgery so he could have enjoyed the parade.)

As this is the one moved to the front and it doesn’t really deserve its own post (in my opinion) feliz will also go under the knife and be out 4 to 12 weeks

Who cares…?

WORLD FUCKING CHAMPIONS!!!

Who cares…?

WORLD FUCKING CHAMPIONS!!!

Let’s remember that next may when whoever is playing 3rd base is stinking up the joint and the line up is missing both utley and is stuck with the shadow of a replacement for Burrell (who better not be named Ibanez)

Linkadelic

Just got off the conference call with Ruben Amaro, Scott Sheridan, and Dr. Michael Ciccotti.

A few important points. . .

1) Amaro said that all the reports he has heard are that Utley has a very good chance at returning to the Phillies in time for Opening Day, which starts a week later next season thanks to the World Baseball Classic. The Phillies gave a rough timetable of four-to-six months for Utley’s return, but it sounds like they are banking on him being more toward the four months.

“Our feeling is that he’s going to be fairly close to ready if not ready by Opening Day,” Amaro said. “A lot of it depends on how the rehab goes, how the surgery goes. It isn’t an exactly science. . .We fully expect to have Chase Utley with us for the bulk of the season.”

2) While the “Balky hip” Pat Gillick declared Utley to have over the summer was often blamed for the drop-off in Utley’s production over the course of the season, Amaro said he doesn’t think the injury had much to do with it. Amaro said he thought Utley’s struggles were more “mechanical” than anything. Ciccotti said Utley’s symptoms were relatively “minor.” Though all acknowleged the injury probably affected him to some degree, particularly from a mental stand point, they also said there wasn’t one specific baseball movement that caused the pain. So it doesn’t sound like he was in agony every time he finished his swing.

3) This is more of a “condition” than an “injury,” at least the way it sounds. Sheridan said there was no one specific occurence that caused it. He said Utley reported feeling some pinching in his right hip all the way back in the offseason. He said it wasn’t a steady pain, that the “pinching” sensation would flare up now and again. There would be good days and bad days.

4) The Phillies don’t plan on doing anything drastic to replace Utley. As Amaro said earlier, they expect him to be back sometime before or early in the season. The GM said he thinks the Phils are covered with veteran utility infielder Eric Bruntlett and rising prospect Jason Donald. So in spring training, while Utley is out, it sounds like Donald could get some significant playing time. That said, the Phils won’t shut their eyes to available free agent infield options. But they don’t feel the need – at least not publicly – to scramble to find a starting-quality second baseman.

Thank god we won the World Series, or else this would have me REALLY bummed. Right now I am just kinda bummed.

I hope they take this opportunity to give Jason Donald playing time. I guess there’s some risk that he really tanks and his trade value plummets but there’s definitely upside there that isn’t present with Bruntlett, Iguchi, etc.

This organization is playing with house money and this point and should be acting like it.

Hip Fucking Surgery!