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Utley, a quiet hero, sure looks like another Jeter

Phillies star is more like current Yankees captain than the old Mr. October

Philadelphia Phillies batter Utley watches his solo home run against New York Yankees in seventh inning in Game 5 of MLB World Series in PhiladelphiaREUTERS
Phillies manager Charlie Manuel says Chase Utley is “one of the most prepared, one of the most dedicated” players he has ever been around.

“He’s one of the most prepared, one of the most dedicated, he has the most desire and passion to play the game that I’ve ever been around,” Manuel also said of Utley. But the Phils’ manager could’ve been describing Jeter, too.

After losing Game 5, Jeter had to know the Yankees would return to some fidgeting in New York. There is a very real paranoia among Yankees fans about whether the Yankees can close out this Series and avoid blowing a 3-1 lead like they did to Boston in the 2004 A.L. Championship Series because New York hasn’t won a World Series since.

“Man, that was a long time ago,” a slightly annoyed Jeter told a TV reporter who asked him specifically about the Boston collapse earlier in these playoffs.

But the way the Red Sox stormed back was full of the sort of magic that Utley is riding now. The Yankees should still win this series. But if they’re smart, they’ll do something the Dodgers couldn’t pull off in that ’77 World Series against Jackson.

They’ll give Utley his props and make somebody else beat them.

Johnette Howard is a New York-based writer who has worked for Sports Illustrated, The Washington Post, and Newsday. She is the author of, "The Rivals: Chris Evert vs. Martina Navratilova" (Broadway Books).


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