Specter dines with Phillies star Chase Utley

Sen. Arlen Specter (D-Pa.) has been under fire from the left and right since ditching the GOP and he faces the toughest reelection fight of his Senate career but he’s still got enough juice in Philly to rate a meal with one of the city’s favorite people.

According to tips obtained by The Philadelphia Daily News gossip columnist, Specter and his wife Joan had a fancy Italian dinner with the Phillies All-Star second baseman Chase Utley and his wife after the ballgame Sunday.

“We’re told Specter and Utley were gracious to fellow diners and said hello to those who approached them,” the DN reports. It’s a fair bet that Utley’s quite a bit more popular than Specter in the CIty of Brotherly Love these days.

Specter’s a big Phils fan. He even skipped out on a weekend session the Senate held on the financial bailout last year to watch the team clinch the National League East division title.

Utley, unlike Specter, is not a switch-hitter; he bats left.

Don’t know whether Utley wants to follow in the footsteps of Sen. Jim Bunning (R-Ky.), a former Phillie, and enter politics but he’ll have a chance to get some pointers from President Obama when he and his World Series champion teammates visit the White House Friday.

– Jeffrey Young