Throughout the 2019 MLB season, Sporting News will run short interviews with players, highlighting their favorite foods, activities and more in a feature we're calling Two Minutes With ...
In this edition, SN's Joe Rivera got two minutes with former Phillies and Dodgers infielder Chase Utley.
Editor's note: Utley spoke with Sporting News as part of his partnership with Scotts and MLB. The full story will be available this week.
MORE: Watch 'ChangeUp,' a new MLB live whiparound show on DAZN
SPORTING NEWS: You're a very mellow, California guy. When you played, you were fiery — "gamer" was one of the words used to describe you. Was baseball an outlet for you?
CHASE UTLEY: That's a good question. It's where I felt most comfortable. I always had that chip-on-my-shoulder, hair-on-fire type attitude. The harder I played (baseball), the more I would get out of it. That's what was ingrained in me at a younger age. That was kind of my motto, and I stuck to it.
I felt like it helped me become a better player. I felt like I got more out of my natural ability than I probably should have, because of the way I played.
SN: To your point, it seems like Philly was the perfect place for you. Philly has one of those attitudes that not a lot of towns have.
CU: Philly is a blue-collar city that lives and dies by their sports teams. Playing in Philadelphia at Citizen's Bank Park which was brand new … The city was amazing. It was beautiful. Having really good players, teammates created a really good team. The whole environment, I feel pretty fortunate and lucky to be part of that group at that time.
Obviously I had something to do with it, but it wasn't just me. It was the whole group of guys that allowed us to have a lot of success. Playing in that city, that type of style, it was a good fit. Not knowing anything about the east coast growing up in Southern California, I didn't realize how good of a fit it was until I got there.
SN: You gotta tell me: how did the "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" people come to you to be on the show? How did that all come together?
CU: It was a while ago. I knew the show. I wasn't an avid watcher of it, but I tuned in here and there. They reached out to my reps, Ryan Howard's reps. They said, "We'd love to have them on the show." They gave us the background of what's going on. I talked to Ryan about it, asked "What do you think?" And we did it.
It was a great experience. It was way more casual than I was anticipating. You have a few lines. You're not saying a lot. And they have their lines. But it didn't have to be perfect. Every shot, every time we did a scene, we did it five or six times. Every one was a little bit different — different dialogue. And then they picked whatever one they thought worked best. It was a great experience.
I actually played golf the other day with Rob [McElhenney] and Charlie [Day]. They live in L.A. We've become friends; our kids hang out. It's developed into a cool relationship.
SN: You're in the gym. You're getting pumped. What's your go-to song or artist?
CU: You might think I'm weird, which is fine. A friend of mine I went to high school with is a DJ, he sends me motivational stuff — his name is Bear Grillz. Check out his Instagram.
SN: Pizza or tacos?
CU: Tacos, all day long.
SN: Being a California guy, you probably know the best tacos.
CU: One, being a California guy, I grew up on tacos. Two, I'm dairy-free, so therefore pizza just is not the same without cheese. Tacos all the way.
SN: I can't do the no cheese. That would be difficult for me.
CU: It was difficult for me, too. I'm happy that I did it, but there are days that I'm disappointed as I watch someone eating a nice slice of pizza.
SN: I'd imagine you're a soft shell guy over a hard shell?
CU: That's right, I am.
SN: Last question: Batman or Iron Man, and why?
CU: [Under his breath] Wow. That's a good one. I'd say Iron Man. Why? I think the fact that Iron Man can fly and essentially is kind of like Superman. I would choose Superman, but that wasn't an option. So, the fact that Iron Man can fly is like, really cool.
