Philadelphia sports fans are notorious for their harsh behavior. They boo their own players, they boo opposing players, they hassle family members, and they’ll even boo Santa Claus if they feel up to it. But one thing that makes the booing worse is if players complain about it, because then it seems like the athlete is too weak to handle the pressure.
Chase Utley didn’t come out and say he couldn’t handle the boos, but he did say they don’t help.
The Phillies second baseman went 3-for-5 with a home run and two RBIs in Philly’s 6-2 win over the San Francisco Giants on Tuesday. After the game, he was asked by Scott Franzke and Larry Andersen of 94.1 WIP about the crowd at AT&T Park, and that prompted him to voice a complaint about Phillies fans.
“Obviously, they have a great fan base out here, they’re into the game, obviously booing us. But that makes it exciting,” Utley said of the Giants fans. “The last few games at home we didn’t play that well, the fans let us hear about it, and it doesn’t boost your confidence that way.”
Here is the audio via Crossing Broad:
You got that, Philly fans? We know you’re not going to change the way you operate, but Utley has made it clear that the boos do not help. The Phillies lost back-to-back games to the Miami Marlins over the weekend, so we understand the fans’ frustration. But they have won two in a row against the Giants, and Utley is looking good again after three straight injury-plagued seasons.
Utley’s comments really shouldn’t surprise anyone. After all, remember what he said in 2008?
