By: Tim Kelly, Managing Editor
In between ripping the city of Queens, New York's hearts out this past weekend, long-time Philadelphia Phillies second-baseman Chase Utley answered a series of questions for Ryan Lawrence of Philly Voice.
Among the most interesting responses that Utley had to any of Lawrence's questions came when he was asked if he still keeps up with the Phillies place in the standings. He had a response that is sure to tug at the heartstrings of Phillies fans.
Do you find yourself looking at the standings or scores to see how (the Phillies) are doing?
Once in a while. I’m not a huge standings follower, but I keep track of Jimmy, and all of the guys, really.
It's probably hard for Utley and Rollins not to keep track of each other's statistics. The two were teammates from 2003-2014, a stretch in which they helped the Phillies to win five division titles, two National League pennants and a World Series. They were then reunited last August when Utley was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers, where Rollins spent the 2015 season.
If the two are keeping track of each other's stats, Rollins is probably pretty impressed with Utley's. After the worst season of his career in 2015, Utley is healthy and Fangraphs says that he has already posted a 1.5 WAR in 2016. Rollins, now with the White Sox, hasn't had the same type of bounce-back season, as he is hitting just .226, a year after hitting .224.