Chase Utley: I wasn’t hurt, but now I’m better

I keep saying that the extra days off are annoying, but on the bright side they give ballplayers a chance to mess with beat writers’ heads:

Is there anything wrong with your foot?” I asked Chase Utley yesterday.

“No,” he said.

“Is there anything wrong with your hip?”

“No,” he said.

“Would you tell us if there was?”

“Probably not.”

I wouldn’t tell them either. Still, given Utley’s erratic play at second in the NLCS, there was a lot of speculation that he is or, at the very least was, in fact hurt. Speculation that is supported by these kinds of statements from Utley:

“I think the days off right now are pretty special. You don’t have many days off during the regular season. You let your body relax, heal up. It’s a good thing.”

So there’s another silver lining to all of the days off. The injured (or not) Chase Utley is now healed (or not), and healthy ballplayers make for a better series.

At least until A-Rod slides in hard to second base on a would-be 6-4-3 and the throw goes wide . . .