11/20/2008 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Philadelphia Phillies announced Thursday that half of its starting infield -- All- Star second baseman Chase Utley and third baseman Pedro Feliz -- will undergo surgery.
Utley will have surgery on his right hip next week. The 29-year-old was rumored to have problems with the hip most of the season, as his offensive numbers dipped considerably after the All-Star break. Utley still finished with a .292 batting average, a career-high 33 home runs, and 104 RBI.
After a poor performance at the plate early in the playoffs for the Phillies, Utley rebounded to hit .353 with a homer and three RBI in Philadelphia's five- game win over the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League Championship Series. He only batted .167 in the World Series, but hit a two-run homer in the first inning of Philadelphia's Game 1 win over Tampa Bay. The Phillies went on to defeat the Rays in five games for their first World Series title since 1980.
The UCLA product will undergo an arthroscopic evaluation with treatment of any labral or bony injury, according to a release issued by the Phillies on Thursday. The recovery will allow for the initiation of baseball activities between three and four months, however, the total recovery time may require four to six months, which could sideline Utley for the first few months of the 2009 season.
Feliz, 33, is scheduled to have low back surgery on Thursday. He was on the disabled list for 26 days this past season because of a lower back injury. The procedure, a lumbar disectomy, will be performed by Dr. Robert Watkins in Los Angeles, and Feliz will need two to three months to recover.
The ninth-year veteran batted .249 with 14 homers and 58 RBI for the Phillies in 2008, his first season with the club after eight years in San Francisco. Feliz hit .333 in the World Series, and his RBI single in the bottom of the seventh inning of Game 5 providing the go-ahead run in Philadelphia's 4-3, series-clinching win.
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Many fans thought it was the best side in the nation by the end of last season. This year, the polls have built on Georgia's momentum and granted it the No. 1 preseason ranking, followed by Ohio State and USC. (The Associated Press has the Buckeyes at No. 2; USA Today took the Trojans.)
"To have people believing we have one of the best teams in the nation going into this thing, it's exciting for us," Bulldogs coach Mark Richt told the AP. "I don't think anything is guaranteed, but we certainly have put ourselves in position where at least the college football world thinks we're pretty good."
Georgia Bulldogs - 9.5 wins
There's no question they're good, but the Bulldogs have one of the toughest 12-game schedules in the nation, mostly because they play in the powerhouse Southeastern Conference. Away games at No. 15 Arizona State, No. 7 LSU and No. 10 Auburn loom large, with contests between the hedges versus No. 24 Alabama and No. 18 Tennessee as well as the World's Largest Cocktail Party in Jacksonville versus No.5 Florida.
Ohio State Buckeyes - 10 wins
Like the Bulldogs, the Buckeyes also have a number of tough road contests in 2008. After two scrimmages dressed up as real games versus Youngstown State and Ohio, it's off to face USC. Other tough away games include No.13 Wisconsin in October and No. 20 Illinois in November. Granted, it should be pretty easy sledding at the Horseshoe. In fact, the only ranked team that travels to Columbus is No. 22 Penn State, in October.
USC Trojans - 10.5 wins
A similarly light schedule awaits the Trojans of Southern California, which is why the oddsmakers' total is one win more and the over is currently commanding -150 odds. Pete Carroll's troops only play three ranked teams in 2008, and all of those games are at home. After what should be an easy trip to Virginia to start things off on Aug. 30, the Trojans get two weeks to prepare for Ohio State in Los Angeles. Their two other ranked opponents, No. 21 Oregon and No. 15 Arizona State, visit in consecutive weeks to start the month of October. After that, the competition eases up. Of course, this is the same highly-touted school that lost to Stanford in 2007 and Oregon State in 2006. And don't discount the fact that USC plays its biggest rivals, Notre Dame and UCLA, back-to-back to close out the regular season. On paper, the Trojans are far superior, but motivation will be high for the Irish and Bruins, especially if their historic foes are in national-title contention.
Odds to Win the Heisman Trophy
Tim Tebow, Florida - 7/2
He won it last year, so it's no surprise he's the favorite to do it again, making him just the second player to go back-to-back. Ohio State's Archie Griffin turned the trick in 1974 and 1975, and Tebow's coach, Urban Meyer, is pretty sure his star quarterback can match the Buckeyes legend.
"There has never been anyone quite like him," Meyer told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "I am very lucky to be his coach."
Chris Wells, Ohio State - 5/1
The man they call "Beanie" was a star recruit out of high school, so it's not like nobody knew who the star tailback was before he rushed for 576 yards as a freshman in 2006 and 1,609 as a sophomore. But perhaps his finest moment came last year versus Michigan when he rumbled for 222 yards and two touchdowns in the Buckeyes' 14-3 victory over the hated Wolverines.
Knowshon Moreno, Georgia - 8/1
If the Bulldogs are to live up to expectations, they'll need a huge effort from their sophomore running back. This might be the last year of college ball for Moreno, who rushed for 1,334 yards and for 14 touchdowns as a freshman, while adding 253 receiving yards on 20 receptions, so expect big things for the man from Belford, N.J.
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