Shortly after his MLB debut and hitting a grand slam for his 1st MLB hit in 2003. John Kruk and the Phillies pulled this hilarious prank on a rookie Chase Utley tricking him into believing his call up was invalid.
John one time was in the batters box smoking a cigarette when a lady in the stands said “You shouldn’t be smoking. You’re an athlete.” John looked over at her and said,”. Lady I’m no athlete. I’m a baseball player.” 😅
@@scourge8097 yea, John kruk is not as athletic as Chris Farley lol... Farley was on a whole nother level with his physical comedy and stamina he might as well been labeled an athlete. Also, Kruk is the one who said he's a baseball player not an athlete.
@@traviskeck3138 Yea, I remember that! Have you seen Farley portray Rudy Giuliani's son, Andrew during the Yankee stadium opening day skit? From the same season too, 1994. 😂
He was described early on as "taciturn" and it seems to have been accurate. Just a guy that loved baseball and had immense talent for it. Didn't really want to be mobbed every time he left the house.
Had a flight from Philly to Williamsport (one of the rare times that airport has been in use) and it seemed like we climbed to altitude, sky waitress chucked peanuts at us and then we descended. Ridiculous.
I once ran into Kruk on the ferry from Delaware to Jersey. He was with his whole family and little kids. He was such a doting dad. Running back and forth to the snack bar for his kids. He caught my eye on one of his trips to the snack bar and he just rolled his eyes and we both laughed. I was so impressed by what a nice guy and loving family man he was. I can’t even remember how many years ago this was, but it was when he was on ESPN at the time.
'What we gotta know is that you didn't just drive yourself here and slip yourself into the lineup.' Chase so dismayed he couldn't see the forest through his fluttering bowel.
Shoulda stretched it out a little further and told Utley that he was going to be on the hook for the hotel room, and he was going to have to purchase the airline ticket back to Scranton.😂🤣
I love John KRUK. I am a 64 year old man I walked to Connie Mack stadium when I was a Rugrat with my dad. So I have been a Phillies fan forever and John kruk loves Philadelphia he still lives here and we love him as much as he loves us. A great human being.
That was pretty funny. Should have kept the prank going longer. Looked like Chase had no idea who Kruker was. If the other 2 people in the room were in on the prank they did a great job playing along.
They did a great job playing along? They sat there silently. You telling me you'd be hooping and hollering in your chair in anticipation of the punch line?
YT surprisingly recommended this video to me, and for once I am glad they actually showed me something I wanted to see. Hadn’t seen this clip in quite a while, and it brought a smile to my face that was just as big as when I saw it for the first time. Love John Kruk. I was a little leaguer in the mid 80’s, and even though I threw right handed, I batted lefty. I used to try to mimic his batting stance when my buddies and I were horsing around on the diamond.
John’s brother Joe Kruk was my high school basketball coach at Enka high school in Enka North Carolina. I got to meet John and play basketball against him. he was a very funny and athletic guy
Always enjoyed watching John Kruk play. This is like the third or fourth time I've watched this since it was posted to RU-vid and it's funnier each time I watch it.
Kruk started out with the Padres and has always been a very popular player who marched to the beat of a different drummer and I am sure that applies to his time in Philly. What a character, player and person, funny as hell and always gave it his all whether between the foul lines, the dugout or locker room.
Oh gosh, John Kruk seemed like one of those fellas that I’d like to have a beer with. Life can be hard, but it’s even harder if you take it too seriously. ;)
Remember John and many other soon to be called up all star players in Beaumont ,Tx during the 80's ( Ozzie Guillen, Mark Parent, Alomar bros etc) Golden Gators was a Padre farm team. I was one of the guys that yelled..."Watch him Bob" to the opposing pitcher one night ,he started throwing in the dirt, wild pitches & frustration til he was pulled... Good memories for me... for Bob, not so much!
Just a beer drinkin, good ol boy from Keyser WVa. Met him at a potomac state fundraiser golf tournament in Keyser. As down to earth as they come. ESPN messed up big time getting rid of him.
No, actually the filming is required in case there is an appeal. Although as a member of the rules committee, Kruk knew full well that this sort of decision could not be appealed.
@@philipkeeler9997 You can tell that Kruk is thinking of the plan of forging a home lease for Utley to establish his Philly residence and maybe get to stay on the team, but that Kruk did not know if Utley would "play ball" (with the plan).
I remember when John first came to the PHILLIES. The first time I seen him walk into the batters box. He said something to the umpire and catcher on the other team . And they all busted out laughing. I wish I knew what he said. But I fell in love with him just for the fact he was just a normal guy. He reminded me of the babe. He enjoyed his beer and hotdogs and he was one of the best hitters in baseball. Now I enjoy listening to him and Tom do the Phillies games John only does the home games. But you better believe you are going to be entertained. He will have you laughing and he loves Philadelphia there's no doubt about that at all. He enjoys the other sports teams in Philly he really likes the SIXERS. I hope everything went good with his surgeries in October.
The last road trip of the season would've been so much sweeter with Kruk. I wish we could've heard his voice when we clinched the WC spot. ...let alone the rest of that run.
Truer words have never been spoken. And the Mets like to think they have the best commentators in the game lol not a chance, when Krukker's in the booth!
@@Targetverified82 JWrizzle you must be a Phillies fan for you to agree with me. Thanks for that and besides how can anyone not love John kruk. And there's one thing you were going to do when watching a Phillies game. John was going to make us laugh most of the game. When him and his buddy the fanatic comes into the booth with John and Tom. You just know something is about to happen that everyone will be laughing and talking about the next day. But it is really sad to see him using a walker to get around. Comes down to it it really sucks being old. Be safe out there
@@jgatenby6120 Yes it does suck that our guys don't do the games in the playoffs on TV. But kruk wasn't able to do any games anyway. He was getting hip replacement surgery in October. I really hope he is going to be able to walk without a walker.
Ya cool, but this was 2003 and a cam recorder was filming what would otherwise be a entirety private conversation. He 100% knew what was up. GET REAL 🤣
Schmitty needs to be number one. Even Richie Ashburn referred to Michael Jack as the "greatest Phillie of all time". Whitey made that call and we all need to live by it.
You should watch clips. Not only was he a great power hitter but his fielding was absolutely the best. Watching him charge a bouncing grounder, bare hand it with his throwing hand and nail the throw to first, all while running in the opposite direction left my jaw on the floor a dozen times. And he would bare hand it as his arm was in the process of cocking to make the throw. Dude could leap into the air and somehow turn to make a throw before landing. Made a bunch of Brooks Robinson style stabs way outside the foul line and got the runner. Really just amazing.
Favorite doesn't mean BEST. It's pretty hard to have a player be your favorite when you never actually saw him play live and got emotionally attached. @@cvn6555
I remember when Utley pulled this hilarious prank. So it was a game between the dodgers and the Mets, and Utley was on first on the way to second doomed to be out on fielder’s choice. He’s the funny part 😂 So he literally slides DIRECTLY into the second basemen on purpose and tears his ACL ending his career 😂😂😂😂 that was his best prank
He played hard and was injured a lot. I don't believe that there is a long list of people losing their careers cause of him so this is just unfortunate. I think it was a Mets pitcher that beaned him on the wrist, breaking his hand and putting him out for 4-6 weeks while he was in the middle of what could have been an MVP season. I was at the game at CBP. Long time ago but my old brain seems to recall it was the Mets.
