On Tuesday morning, the Major League Baseball Players Alumni Association announced that Chase Utley is this year's Phillies recipient of the group's Heart and Hustle Award. It is the leading major award voted on by former MLB players.
The honor, as described on the association's website, "honors active players who demonstrate a passion for the game of baseball and best embody the values, spirit and tradition of the game." It has been given out since 2005 and a national winner is picked out from the team winners. Roy Halladay won the national award in 2010. This year's edition will be given out at a dinner ceremony in New York on November 18.
It seems pretty clear that Halladay has a preferred candidate. The former Phillies ace offered up this terrific tribute to Utley after the team awards were announced:
I struggle writing this due to the privacy of a man of integrity and the definition of a baseball player. In the video room in the stadium..
You will find a row of heart and hustle trophies with chases name. Not because somebody chose to display them but rather a junk drawer...
Of sorts for a man who although appreciates the honor plays the game for all the right reasons! Not to be seen or heard or for attention..
No look at me see how or any of the me first mentality taking over all parts of baseball sports ect. One of my greatest honors was putting..
My heart and hustle trophy along side the definition of the award
Their must be one on every team I seen two in my life Scott Rolen and most of all Chase Utley! The award has lost meaning its normally....
Given to the guy having the best year. But if you could somehow measure that in a man chase is run away from the pack! What's really sad...
Is some our busy patting them selves on the back and missing what a true baseball player is! I kid you not when he talked to me ....
On the field I got goose bumps every time! Please encourage your friends, family, most of all your kids to be like chase! #26&chooch!
Okay, so the spelling wasn't all perfect. Still, it was pretty neat to see one Phillies legend give a big public shoutout to another.