Bruin Greats On Second

We have couple of Bruin baseball related notes to pass on this Monday night concerning a current Bruin superstar and an immortal legend. And both of them happen to be second baseman (as we are also following up the news of most recent Bruin second baseman just signing his first professional K).

First, Chase Utley is an All Star again. Not only that the Philly slugger received the most votes among NL players and the second highest over all:

Former standout UCLA baseball player Chase Utley has been voted by fans around the country to start at second base and represent the Philadelphia Phillies in the 79th Major League Baseball All-Star Game on Tuesday, July 15, at Yankee Stadium in New York.

Utley received 3,889,602 votes, the highest total among all National League players and the second-highest total overall, behind New York Yankee third baseman Alex Rodriguez (3,934,518). Utley, who starred on UCLA's baseball team from 1998-2000, will make his fourth consecutive All-Star Game appearance.

Through Sunday, July 6, Utley leads the majors with 24 home runs and has registered the fifth-highest RBI total, 67 (tied with Houston's Carlos Lee). In 88 games, Utley has compiled a .294 batting average and 100 hits.

The second overall pick in the 2000 MLB Draft by Philadelphia, Utley was a two-time first-team All-America selection at UCLA. He gained Freshman All-America honors from Collegiate Baseball in 1998 and first-team All-America recognition from the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) in 1999.

While Chase is carving out his legacy in the professional ranks, he has a long way to go to match the legend of Jackie Robinson, who this past weekend was inducted into the college baseball HOF:

Former UCLA baseball player Jackie Robinson was inducted into the College Baseball Hall of Fame on Thursday, July 3, as one of three Vintage-Era inductees in the 2008 Hall of Fame Class. Robinson, UCLA's first four-sport letterwinner, played baseball for the Bruins in 1940 after having played two seasons at Pasadena Junior College.

Owen Carroll, a pitcher at Holy Cross and coach at Seton Hall, and William J. "Billy" Disch of Sacred Heart College, joined Robinson as the other two Vintage-Era inductees.

"As the game of baseball approaches its 150th anniversary, we must recognize the efforts of those who have helped build and enrich our game," said Jeff Chase, Hall of Fame co-chair and CBF board member. "Honoring these individuals is a key step in protecting the legacy of this great sport."

Robinson became the first African-American to play in the major leagues when he made his debut with the Brooklyn Dodgers on April 15, 1947. In two seasons at Pasadena Junior College, he posted a .417 batting average, totaling 43 runs and 25 stolen bases in 24 games. At UCLA, he became the school's first four-sport letterwinner, competing for the football, basketball, baseball and track and field teams.

My only question here is what took these guy so long to induct Jackie into the HOF?

GO BRUINS.