With football season upon us.....

Thanks for that Suzie. I think Chase is awesome and now I have even more reasons to like him. I didnt know that he and his wife were animal advocates!!

Yeah- Chase and Jen Utley are really involved with the Pennsylvania SPCA. A few things about them that make me "squee!" a little bit:

- When a dog was found in Philly beated and starving by his previous owners 2 years ago, the Utleys adopted him after no one else wanted him.
- Every year, they host a Casino Night (which a lot of the other Phillies come to) to benefit the SPCA
-Jen Utley was at the forefront of the protest in Philly the day after Michael Vick signed with the Eagles
-They are high school sweethearts
-Chase and the rest of the 2009 Phillies all posed for a calendar with either their own pets or animals from the SPCA who were hoping to be adopted. All proceeds from calendar sales go to the SPCA.

The man is kind of a rockstar :)

I, of course, picked up the calendar. Hot men with cute dogs and cats? Who could resist?! That and I'm a huge Phillies fan :)

Are you in the Philly area Suzie?

Yep- born and raised!

Nice!! I live in the Harrisburg/Hershey area!! MissChriss, who is also a poster here, is a huge phillies fan and lives in Philly!

No kidding! I always assumed you lived in New York, being a Yankees fan.

I actually live in the West Chester, PA area so I'm not far from you at all!

Apparently we have quite the Philly contingent here!

I am a native NYer Suzie but of course now live in PA. While my heart will always be in NY (Yankees, Bills), I do follow the Phillies and the Eagles and root for them. As Erika said though, I am also thoroughly disgusted that Vick is able to sport any NFL jersey.
Wow, West Chester is only like an hour or so from here!! We'll have to get together for a game! LOL

Yeah seriously- we totally could! That's awesome! I lived in NYC for a year and went to a bunch of Yankees games while I was there- my father was always a Yanks fan when I was growing up, and I of course can't support the Mets!

I have mixed emotions about the whole Michael Vick thing. I mean, what he did was AWFUL. I have a real soft spot for animals and in my mind that can't be erased. At the same time, he committed a crime and served his sentence. Anyone else who was convicted and served their jail time would be expected to find a job again when they got out. It just so happens that what Vick does is play football.

That being said, I understand that he deserves another chance. I just wish it was ANYWHERE else but Philadelphia.

It makes me sick to go into Modell's and see jerseys with his name on display. I appreciate that Dick's Sporting Goods is not selling them.

I hear you Suzie. Seriously, I am such an animal freak that I am sometimes blinded by that...lol. I just think that when it comes to the NFL or MLB or the NBA where kids AND adults look up to these sports figures as heroes and/or role models, that there is just no place for someone like that who would do such horrific things. Maybe he does deserve a second chance but when you are in the public eye and a sports figure, you are ALWAYS held to a higher standard. That may not be fair but what is anymore?

That's very true too. They are held to higher standards.

It makes me wonder what will happen with Donte Stallworth once his suspension is over.