Chase gets Hitched

Sorry ladies, but Chase Utley is off the market. He got hitched to his college sweetheart, Jennifer.

Utley’s marriage is a story the Philadelphia media has paid a lot of attention to, mostly because it served as a nice human interest angle to the more important story: Utley’s new long-term contract.

So we’ve learned all about how Chase and Jennifer met, where they went on their first date, where they got married, who was invited, where they went on their honeymoon, etc.

But back to how they met. Chase and his bride-to-be were introduced by….drumroll please…Freddie Mitchell!! From the Philadelphia Inquirer:

Chase Utley was in town yesterday, and he brought the best catch he ever made with him - his new bride, Jennifer.

They met as undergrads at UCLA. Freddie Mitchell introduced them.

Yes, that Freddie Mitchell.

“It was Valentine’s Day 2000,” Jennifer explained on the day her man passed his physical and officially signed a seven-year, $85 million contract with the Phillies.

Mitchell, Utley and Jennifer Cooper were all in the same social policy class. In addition to catching passes for the Bruins’ football team, Mitchell, who later became a receiver and cartoon character with the Eagles, played a little baseball with Utley at UCLA.

After class that day, Utley pointed to Cooper and said he’d like to meet her.

“Oh, I know her,” Mitchell said with his typical I-just-want-to-thank-my-hands-for-being-so-great modesty.

Mitchell made the introduction - then hit up Jennifer for a ride home. Before long, Utley had a date with Ms. Cooper, and he even managed to get a second one after calling her Jessica on their first night out.

Ooooh, I can’t believe he rebounded from calling his girl the wrong name. That’s usually a deal-breaker. But more importantly, Freddie Mitchell! Do you think he was invited to the wedding?

I think Freddy needs to get his own reality show, “The Matchmaker.” I can just see him now: “I’m Freddy Mitchell. Whether it comes to running routs or making matches, I’ve got great instincts. I’d like to thank my instincts for being so great and helping me make that match and all the other great matches I’ve made. I love my instincts.”