Is Philadelphia Turning On Ryan Howard?
Last week, I tuned into a little sports talk radio to get the city’s pulse on the 76ers acquisition of Elton Brand. The Philadelphia fans are very much looking forward to the upcoming NBA season to say the least.
There was another topic on the show that was of greater concern to me. It has been the Philadelphia Phillies fans treatment of star first baseman Ryan Howard this season. Howard has won rookie of the year and league MVP in consecutive seasons and leads the National League in home runs and RBIs despite being left off of the All-Star team. But for some reason the fans are pointing to his Major League leading 126 strikeouts and 13 errors (tops among first baseman) and his desire to earn $20 million per season. WHY?
Ryan Howard is learning what Randall Cunningham, Charles Barkley and Allen Iverson have learned about the Philadelphia sports fan.
You can go from fan favorite, to an “overpaid, overhyped, unappreciative nigger” in a split second. It’ll happen in the time that it takes one of those moon-shot homers leave the yard…quickly.
For Ricky Watters, it happened in his first game in the Kelly Green and White. Watters short-armed a pass that was thrown between him and the oncoming defender. When questioned about the play after the game in which the Eagles lost, Watters exclaimed that he wasn’t going to risk being injured in that situation. He topped it off with four words that live in Philly sports infamy: “For Who, For What!” No matter what Watters did in those three seasons as an Eagle, if he fumbled, had a subpar ganme or dropped a pass, those four words were always thrown at his back.
Ryan Howard’s in Philadelphia has been nothing but great, filling in for an injured Jim Thome in 2005 he belted 22 home runs and 63 RBI in 88 games to win the NL Rookie of the Year. In his first full season in 2006 Howard played all but three games, he posted team records of 58 homers and 148 RBI on his way to the NL MVP the Philles would finish one game out of the NL Wild Card spot. Last season Howard missed 2 weeks in May and led the Majors in strikeouts, (199) but he was able to bang out 47 home runs and 136 RBI. Those are down from the previous season, but the Phillies would go on to win the NL East and enter the postseason for the first time in 14 years.
This past winter Howard and the Phillies avoided arbitration as he was awarded $10 million for this season, last season Howard earned $900,000 and $350,000 in 2006. Anyone with a decent set of eyes knows what Howard had outplayed his previous contracts is due the maximum.
All things considered the Phillies are still getting Howard at a bargain.
This season Howard got off to a slow start, managing only 5 home runs and 12 RBI. In May Howard would double his home run output while tallying 30 RBI, June saw his homers drop off but he managed 26 RBI. July has seen Howard catch fire right before the All-Star break with 8 homers and 16 RBI this month.
His total at the break: .234 avg. 28 HR 84 RBI, .324 OBP, .508 SLG % (Bold indicates NL Leader)
So why is Philadelphia unhappy all of the sudden?
Does Ryan Howard strike out (126 times so far) too much for my comfort? Yes he does, but I can count on the fact that more times than not in a big situation he’s going to come through. Ryan Howard is accessable and media-friendly. So why the boos after seemingly every strikeout.
When the Phils struggled in June one of the victims was All-Star second baseman Chase Utley. Utley was hot all thoughout the month of May but hit a cold spell in June, he even endured an 0 for 25 stretch.
Not a boo in the house…Not one.
And for the record Utley, who rarely speaks to the media, will make $12 million per season through 2013.
Howard’s deal is up at the end of this season.
As I listened to the show, the host who seemed at a loss himself, implored a response from the public as to what was the fans problem with Ryan Howard.
I heard everything from:
“He’s asking for A-Rod type money.”
“He’s dull to the media.”
“He always has his parents around.”
“Can we trade him for Tim Lincecum.”
After that caller, I had my fill of the situation and was going to say what everyone else was afraid to.
Once I got on the air, I asked the host, “Can I be real with you?” “Sure” He responded. I would go on to say, “Ryan Howard is Black ballplayer looking for a big payday and the fans are reacting like, ‘How dare he ask for A-Rod money, we just gave him $10 million.’”
The host woud go on to say that he didn’t think race was the issue and he was sorry that I felt that way.
Whatever!
It seems like salary only comes in to question when a Black players performance is called into question. From that point on you’ll hear everything from this guy didn’t sign my jersey to he wouldn’t sleep with my sister. The Hater campaign goes into full throttle and Ryan Howard is experincing the beginning of that here. But Brett Favre (Yeah I’m on him again!) can throw 33 picks the last two seasons, not win a Super Bowl in a decade and still not have his $12 million salary questioned?
Ryan, my advice to you is to take it all in stride man. Philadelphia is notorious for getting rid of star talent. It happened to Wilt, Charles, Randall and A.I.
And for a franchise that was the last to bring in Black players and notorious for not keeping to many around, you would think that signing you to a long-term deal would be in their makeup.
Don’t worry there’s a franchise right up I-95 that would be willing to pay that $20 million. And another a little further up, if you like New England chowdah.
July 14th, 2008 at 8:58 pm
“.234 avg. 28 HR 84 RBI, .324 OBP, .508 SLG %”
By the end of the year that batting average will be up over .260 or .270 and the voices will change. To be honest, from a baseball perspective an .832 OPS for a guy who plays 1st base is horrible. Howard doesn’t deserve an ARod type payout because he doesn’t hit .300+ along with his 40+ homers and his 120+ rbi and his 20+ steals. Howard also plays a position that is easy to fill when he’s traded or gone. I can name several players who have put up homers in bunches like Howard, they are a dime a dozen. Thome is one of them, Konerko is another, Adam Dunn, Cecil Fielder, George Bell, Fred McGriff, Jeff Bagwell, etc. The list can go on for days… none of them are super special they make your jaws drop.
Chase Utley gets a pass because he hits at or above .300 and has an OPS of .900+ from a position that does not usually give you those numbers.
Howard deserves as much as Utley, but definitely not as much as ARod. Not even close considering he is a near 29 year old 1st baseman who is playing himself into career DH in the American League.
July 14th, 2008 at 9:03 pm
Boney you can’t be serious. You actually say Ryan Howard is nothing special?
Name me one player who has as many home runs as Ryan this early in their career.
There is no one. NO ONE. Ruth is close, but no one else does.
That’s in the HISTORY of MLB.
July 14th, 2008 at 9:19 pm
You’re nuts find me one playing now that has put up his number the last 3 seasons.
How many MVPs are in that bunch you named, not many if any. Utley gets a pass because he’s white bottom line. He went O for 25 and didn’t get booed once! GTFOH Howard can homer and in his next AB strikeout and get booed.
July 14th, 2008 at 11:00 pm
That’s Philly for ya…
Shoulda known they wouldn’t be able to just appreciate Ryan Howard.
I dunno if the Yankees is a good fit for dude, though…
He seems like a small market kinda cat to me.
July 15th, 2008 at 12:18 am
Inkognegro said it best. That’s Philly for ya. You want to talk about someone getting no love in that market you have to bring up McNabb. I’m a Philly guy and a big Iggles fan, but part of me can’t wait for the day McNabb hangs ‘em up or goes somewhere else and the Boo Birds go back to remember life without a franchise quarterback. Am I the only one who remembers what it was like when Bobby Hoying and Ty Detmer were slinging it around the Vet?
I think racism has a lot to do with it, particularly, as you pointed out, with player salaries. But I think there’s some wiggle room, too. I’ve seen people say ridiculous things about both Eric Lindros and Andy Reid, and, as is most often cited — Philadelphia hated Mike Schmidt (for no good reason).
That being said, Philadelphia sports talk ranks among the lowest of a lowest common denominator industry. Somewhere along the line the writers and radio hosts starting believing the hype on how tough a sports town Philly is and now it’s just a caricature of itself.
July 15th, 2008 at 1:16 am
Caricature is a great word.
As a New Yorker looking on from the outside, shit down there is hilarious. Sports fans who beat the “invisible race drum” are simply delusional. They deserve everything they never get.
July 15th, 2008 at 2:33 am
It’s easy to say that Howard is nothing special when he’s Cecil Fielder re-incarnate. He is one of the most immobile firstbasemen in the league. He is a butcher with the glove. He does not steal bases. He is a below average baserunner.
He hits tape measure home runs. 50 hits a year, tape measure. Wow.
Actually, based on statistics he is falling right in line with Cecil Fielder. 51 bombs as a 26 year old, 44 as a 27 year old, 35 as a 28 year old. Sure, Howard will hit more than 35 unless he gets hurt but the batting average has dipped each season too and the strikeout total is getting higher.
Howard does not deserve ARod money, period. He deserves Miguel Cabrera money considering Cabrera is now a first baseman, or David Ortiz money.
I don’t get why you believe Utley gets a pass because he’s white. Scroll through the league and find a similar producing second baseman. There’s 1, Brandon Phillips. Utley hits for average moreso than homeruns. Baseball is a game of slumps, and 0-25 is hardly a slump when you consider 4 at bats a game, that’s 6 games.
How come noone is booing Jimmy Rollins? He’s way underachieving this year at the plate after hitting 20-20-20-20 last year. 6 bombs? .277 batting average? A year after hitting .290 and 30 bombs? Boo JRoll before you boo Howard. Howard isn’t going to get better though, unless he cuts back on the Ks he’s going to be nothing more than Adam Dunn going forward.
July 15th, 2008 at 2:41 am
I’m not trying to hate on the guy, I think he’s a good player. An OPS of just over .800 at first base causes teams to trade for new first basemen.
I’m just saying that before we fawn all over a guy has 157 homeruns as a 28 year old immobile first baseman, let’s be realistic a little bit about stats and “potential”. The kid is a good ballplayer, but he’s no ARod. $10 million is a bargain but anything more than $15 - $18m is overpaying.
I’d take him over a good portion of the first basemen in the league as my cleanup hitter and designated hitter. I’d take Prince Fielder over Howard though.
July 15th, 2008 at 9:44 am
6 Epic is the shit. He’s hitting bombs like never before. I just hope he somehow learns the Barry Bonds method of tuning everyone out whose not down and keeps on hitting bombs.
He’s got my support no matter what.
July 15th, 2008 at 9:53 am
For the record Boney, until ARod leads the Yankees to a championship, he doesn’t deserve Reggie Jackson money.
July 15th, 2008 at 9:56 am
Ron good piece bruh. It’s different here in Philly.
July 15th, 2008 at 11:45 am
Miz,
If the Phillies are getting tired of him, there’s a team to the south that wears orange and black that would love to see him at first base…:)
July 15th, 2008 at 12:47 pm
Don’t worry if the Philly fans are tired of him, then 29 other teams will glady pay the money he wants, I wished they had traded McNabb to the Bears or another contender so they can get on with the “Kolb” era where he will only last a couple years before the city turns on another Philly ballplayer.
July 15th, 2008 at 1:06 pm
Mizzo, you know more than anyone that Philly fans are just Philly fans. They aren’t happy unless they have something to complain about. I know when I lived in the area, the sports radio station WIP would rip on Philly athletes all day long, whether white or black.
Now, I think Howard should get paid, but $20 mil is a bit much. I think he should get around $14-$15 mil a season and I would consider that fair compensation.
July 15th, 2008 at 1:13 pm
I don’t think he’s a $20 million guy either $15 mil is cool. The point of the piece is to point out that he’s putting up huge numbers but now fans are trying to come up with reasons why he shouldn’t be among the highest paid players.
This is something one host tried last week: If you could keep one player long-term, one short term and trade one who would it be? Your choices are Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley and Ryan Howard. What do you do?
July 15th, 2008 at 1:17 pm
I keep Jimmy Rollins long term (plays a premium offensive and defensive position better than most in the NL), Chase Utley short-term and trade Ryan Howard. What I would like to know is what are his home\road splits?
if it’s stark in favor of home then it’s a real clear answer that maybe he is a slight bit the product of Citizens Bank Park.
July 15th, 2008 at 1:34 pm
Okori - That was how the majority chose, Howard always ended up being traded.
July 15th, 2008 at 1:41 pm
because you can find someone who can approximate his power production and really… that is all he does. he’s an actively bad first baseman, can’t run, doesn’t get on base nearly enough (.324 OBP ) , and doesn’t hit for contact. other than that…. give him the keys to the city.
if you had the choice between Ryan Howard and say… Derrek Lee who would you take?
July 15th, 2008 at 1:49 pm
and to the overarching point of this piece: is some of the dislike of Ryan Howard racial? i’d say so but i’d also say that it’s not all racial.
I mean… a .324 OBP is horrible. just horrible. I can’t even type that without wincing. and boney is right: .832 OPS from a first baseman is… not great either. Ryan might have reached the ceiling of his talent, and if that’s true, i’d trade him for friggin pitching (Cole Hamels is Jesus but even Jesus had apostles.)
July 15th, 2008 at 2:00 pm
I can’t argue w/stats. It bothers me that these fans not giving him a chance to come around. Man, when Utley hit that 0 for 25 snag no one booed this guy. But they give Howard hell.
July 15th, 2008 at 2:28 pm
that’s the racial part. but Ryan Howard is not a 15-million a year player. pure and simple.
July 15th, 2008 at 3:32 pm
tbr,
I understand the booing part, I honestly do.
What I don’t see is how 0-25 when you bat 4-5 times a game is that bad of a slump? It looks bad when you’re hitting .250 and your batting average dips below .240, but when you’re hitting over .300 and you’re 0-25 and you’re still over .300 or close to .300 it’s not that noticeable of a difference. Baseball players all go through slumps, and I would not be surprised to see Howard break out in August like he has done in years past.
Mizzo,
Just because you hit homeruns at a fantastic pace does not mean you’re all world super special baseball player. I listed players who hit homeruns, Thome, Cecil, McGriff, all at a pace of Howard’s current pace.
He’s a good kid from what I see on TV, but slugging first basemen have always been replaceable. There’s always that fat kid on the baseball team who can barely play the field but boy can he hit the cover off the ball, so you put him at first base.
I’ll give Howard $14m a year and call it a day. If he wants to hold out for more, go and earn a gold glove and then we’ll talk. Until then, he’s just a hacker who is almost 29 years old who has 157 career homeruns.
July 15th, 2008 at 3:46 pm
Tell that to the Philly press that made a big deal out of Utley’s slump.
Howard in August:
2007: 7 HR, 24 RBI, .266 AVG.
2006: 14 HR, 41 RBI, .348 AVG.
2005: 5 HR, 16 RBI, .307 AVG.
2004: Was not called up until Sept.
Where is the drop off?
July 17th, 2008 at 3:33 am
The crazy part about this whole thing is, never ONCE has Howard or his camp come out and said they wanted A-Rod type money. There are no quotes, only speculation. The speculation started with Jayson Stark in an article that is no longer on the web. The original page was http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2008/01/stark-ryan-howa.html
If the people that run that site can be contacted and that info re-posted (and I believe it may have been an ESPN Insider article also, but I don’t subscribe to it), it would clearly show that the “A-Rod money” statement was PURE conjecture from Stark himself, no facts at all. Yet people seemed to really grab onto that idea and RUUUUUUUNNNNN with it. But as with ALL urban legends, they tend to get a life of their own.
The problem is the bar had been set so high for this guy, by past accomplishments, that anything short of that, is criticized. The horrible start he got off to only complicated matters even more. If he was doing then, what he is doing now, this ridiculous hatred against this guy would be non-existent.
Until this fact is widely clarified, the attitude toward Howard will never change. Lastly, in my opinion (notice I said opinion versus parroting what I heard) the phillies will take him to arbitration again and trade him by the 2010-2011 season, especially if Burrell gets resigned
July 17th, 2008 at 12:51 pm
And I remember three years ago everyone was bitching about Burrell not living up to his contract. Now they want to redo his deal. Nothing against Burrell but that’s unbelievable.
July 17th, 2008 at 1:30 pm
Steve it’s not ridiculous hatred. read the numbers posted earlier. a .324 OBP? 508 SLG%? geez. that’s just not good. plus his plate discipline is horrible, he’s a bad fielder, and he’s a below-average baserunner. it’s not like he’s the reincarnation of Willie McCovey or anything.
July 19th, 2008 at 9:02 am
Why must the race card be pulled every time? I think it has nothing to do with race at all. I think it has to do with him demanding 20 million a year (mostly his father). When you ask for that type of money, you’re expected to perform at a higher level. Players who make that much money have the pressure to perform at that level and will get criticized to a much higher degree when they don’t perform. Making this a race issue is ridiculous and unfounded; if Chase Utley was asking for 20 million a year and performing the same (errors, strikeouts) and having an almost careless attitude about his struggles, as howard has, he would be receiving the same treatment.
July 20th, 2008 at 5:32 am
And nevermind that Howard is on pace for something like 215 strikeouts this season…. which would break his own single season record of 199 from last season….. Strikeouts are the least productive kind of at bat because they give the batter’s team no chance at all to accomplish anything from the plate appearance, no chance at a defensive error, essentially, which would at least result in a baserunner despite the deduction from the batter’s personal average.
Howard is one of only four players in MLB history to strike out at least 180 times in one season, twice (2007 and 2006; Bobby Bonds, Adam Dunn, and Jim Thome are the others). Reginald Martinez Jackson is the all-time career strikeout leader with 2,597. Reggie averaged 0.92 strikeouts per game over his long career. In his relatively brief career, Howard averages 1.29 strikeouts per game!!! He is one of the least efficient power hitters of all-time. Howard’s career strikeout:home run ratio is a whopping 3.94:1. A-Rod’s is 2.94:1, and Pujols checks in at 1.61:1. For efficiency’s sake, Howard is not all that valuable.
Here’s further proof: Someone on here mentioned Howard’s home run total at this point in his career and how no one else, except maybe Babe Ruth, was even close. Well, here are some striking numbers: Let’s take Howard’s career at 508 games so far, and let’s stack it up with some other prolific power hitters after their 508th games. We’ll start with Ruth, but we have to understand that he played many of his first few seasons in Boston as a pitcher/outfielder, but that’s not Ryan Howard’s fault, so we’ll measure Ruth from the beginning just to be consistent. In his first 508 games, Ruth swatted 103 home runs and struck out 204 times. That’s 103/204, HR/SO. How about Willie Mays? 126/216. Hank Aaron: 88/193. Barry Bonds: 76/322. Ken Griffey Jr.: 72/279. Mark McGwire: 125/385. Mickey Mantle: 84/382. That’s an average, for those seven pre-eminent sluggers of 96.3 HRs and 270 SOs in their first 508 games. How does Ryan Howard stack up? In 508 games, Ryan has hit 158 home runs (terrific!), but he has struck out 623 times……….. 623!!!!!!
As a Yankee fan, I used to think it would be good for the Yankees to trade for Howard, maybe package an aging Mussina (before this season’s resurgance) and a young arm and a young bat for Howard, believing Yankee Stadium’s short right field porch was tailor-made for Howard, but I think his penchant for strikeouts doesn’t make him an effective 5-hole shield for A-Rod. Teams would walk A-Rod and take their chances trying to strike out Howard, and they’d do it a lot of the time. (And you can’t bat Howard third; Abreu is too good a 3-hole hitter, as I think Cano will be one day… maybe.)
I’m sure when the Phillies sit down to negotiate with Howard, they’re going to throw those strikeout numbers in the face of Howard’s agent, and that’s not racially motivated; that’s statistically sound. Howard, when he’s hot, might be a dangerous force of baseball nature, and a game-winning slugger; but when he’s not hot, he costs his team a lot in terms of run potential. Winning an MVP was great, but look at this list of past MVP winners — Zoilo Versalles, Boog Powell, Jeff Burroughs, Ken Caminiti, Jason Giambi, Mo Vaughn — and it’s easy to see that a single MVP award doesn’t make a guy an all-time great player.
Anyway, that’s my two cents…..
July 20th, 2008 at 7:04 am
Name me one BLACK superstar the Phillies have ever had.
July 20th, 2008 at 11:06 am
Dick Allen.
July 20th, 2008 at 11:36 am
and Jimmy Rollins. Although, Mizz, I am not hoping you are implying that the Phillies should just give him whatever he wants because he’s a black superstar. because his numbers, which are color-blind, seem to indicate that a big-money contract would be a bad idea.
July 21st, 2008 at 8:11 am
Yeah the numbers that show he has put in work…like being rookie of the year…then mvp and hitting the most homers EVER since he came into the league.
You mean those numbers…
Yeah they ran Dick Allen out of town. I will never be a Phillies fan because of some of the stories my father told me of how they treated Allen.
Okori you know me well enough to know your above statement is not what the hell I am trying to say.
Don’t do that.
So you name two cats (the jury is still out on how long Jimmy Rollins will last here) to say what?
There is no way in hell a big ass town like Philly should have just the Black players named.
I remember when they signed Danny Tartabull and the town made it a big thing. Dude was injured when they signed him.
They haven’t brought in a Black superstar since.
We’re not talking about the Twins or the Devil Rays.
This franchise goes waaaaay back.
July 21st, 2008 at 8:20 am
Okori let me say something to you.
“Although, Mizz, I am not hoping you are implying that the Phillies should just give him whatever he wants because he’s a black superstar.”
That’s the most ludicrous statement you’ve ever said here.
Why the hell would I say that?
Do you think I run this blog just to give Blacks who are unworthy undeserved shine?
Ryan Howard is one of the main reasons why this team is even in the hunt.
Why wasn’t Howard invited to the home run derby?
If Howard were white he would be absolutely revered even if his average was .199.
Talk his strikeouts all you want but isn’t he leading the MAJORS in homers and 2nd in rbi’s?
Does that count for something?
July 21st, 2008 at 8:27 am
I should have read all the comments.
623 strikeouts is amazing. I didn’t realize it was that high, but yet and still, this is a town that turns on its stars prematurely just for kicks.
He hit 58 homers in this era. I can only think of two players since Maris who’ve hit as many and haven’t been accused of juicing (Griffey).
It kills me when Whites say situations are not racially motivated.
For every Roger Clemens I can name you 25 Blacks who have been scrutinized way more over the course of time.
We’re talking about Philly here not some town where race relations have been chilllllll.
July 21st, 2008 at 10:58 am
i didn’t say it wasn’t racially motivated. i said it wasn’t ALL racial.
a .324 OBP% and a .508 SLG% is not major league-level quality for a first baseman.
and as far as the home run thing…. can we find out how many of those home runs were hit on the road as opposed to Citizens Bank Park?
July 21st, 2008 at 11:13 am
Dude so many of his home runs are opposite field colossal.
Of course you can say it wasn’t all racial. You could say that about anything.
ANY racism is bullshit. Whites don’t have to deal with that on a mass scale.
July 21st, 2008 at 11:38 am
Ryan Howard will not get the respect he deserves until he leaves Philadelphia and goes some where else. It happens here all the time. Now they lost their last 2 games. Saturday was due to poor base running and pitching. Sunday started out as the Ryan Howard show as Rollins got on base in the 1st and Howard drove him in…by the 3rd inning I believe he had 2 RBI’s.
But pitching again, as Cole couldn’t hold it down.
Howard takes a lot of blame and he shouldn’t. Have any of you been to a home game? Its in South Philadelphia mind you, where its a little difficult for us to “blend” in. Aside from the snide comments and stares, its just not a comfortable place for a black man to watch a baseball game.
The last game I attended was when I saw Ken Griffey Jr play, so I wore my NY Giants Willie Mays jersey and cap, and I caught a lot of wreck for a team and player that do not play anymore. Any where else I would have been left alone or respected, but not in my own town.
July 21st, 2008 at 11:39 am
see the discussion we’re having is probably the discussion the Phillies are having (at least i hope so.)
I don’t know what else to say except for this: .324 OBP. geezus. that makes my face hurt.
August 29th, 2008 at 4:08 pm
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