Ryan Howard News & Rumors: Pro Sports Daily

January 31

MLB.com

"Compared to recent winters in Philadelphia this winter hasn't felt much like one at all, but Spring Training is still coming. Phillies pitchers and catchers hold their first official workout in just 20 days. Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr., manager Charlie Manuel and right fielder Hunter Pence shared their thoughts on some of the club's more pressing issues at Monday night's Philadelphia Sports Writers' Association banquet in Cherry Hill, N.J."

Who is the NL's premier first baseman?

January 25

CSN Philly

"In case you haven't heard, Prince Fielder signed a nine-year deal with the Detroit Tigers for $214 million on Tuesday. With Fielder's departure from the Brewers, coupled with Albert Pujol's AL defection earlier this off-season, the list of star first basemen in the National League is dwindling. So, who is left? HardballTalk compiled a list of the league's first basemen, ranking them based on projected OPS numbers for the 2012 season. Curious where Ryan Howard ended up? His standing might surprise you. With a projected OPS of .850, Howard came in at fourth on the list behind the Reds' Joey Votto, Mets' Ike Davis and Cards' Lance Berkman, in that order."

Don't expect Howard on opening day

January 7

CSN Philly

"Ryan Howard's recovery from surgery to repair a torn left Achilles tendon is moving along and he could be ready for baseball activities by the time spring training opens in mid-February. Publicly, the Phillies are taking a wait-and-see approach on Howard's readiness for opening day. Privately, the team probably has a much different mind-set. Privately, team officials may have already ruled out Howard for the April 5 season opener in Pittsburgh. Why do we believe this? Because the last couple of years, coinciding with head athletic trainer Scott Sheridan's rise, the team has become more conservative in the time it takes getting banged-up players back on the field. Jimmy Rollins and Shane"

Phils' Howard cleared to begin exercises

January 6

CSN Philly

"The Phillies received some encouraging news on Thursday. Foot and ankle specialist Mark Myerson cleared first basemen Ryan Howard to begin some strength and power exercises, general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. said. The 32-year-old slugger, who had surgery to repair a ruptured left Achillies in October, will start jogging underwater and is likely to begin baseball activities within six weeks."

Who can replace Ryan Howard?

October 14

CSN Philly

columnist John Finger

"According to general manager Ruben Amaro Jr., Ryan Howard will miss approximately five-to-six months after having his ruptured Achilles repaired. The consensus from medical types is that a six-month recovery is standard for the type of surgery Howard had. That doesn't take into account the baseball training Howard will need before a return. It was Howard's left Achilles that ruptured, which is the foot he loads up on before taking a swing. If the Big Piece needs six months to get his Achilles right, it might take another month to get his swing down."

Ryan Howard has full tear of Achilles repaired; out 6 months

October 13

CSN Philly

"Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard could miss the 2012 season opener after having his left Achilles' tendon surgically repaired on Wednesday. Howard had a full tear, according to general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. His leg will be immobilized for about two weeks. He can begin weight-bearing and strengthening exercises in about a month. "It's going to be five to six months from surgery before he can play at his accustomed level," Amaro said. "A lot depends on how he recovers and how the surgery takes, but we're talking five to six months.""

Howard has ruptured Achilles, needs surgery

October 9

CSN Philly

"The worst fears of Ryan Howard and the Phillies have come to pass. According to the team, Howard's MRI revealed a rupture of his left Achilles tendon. However, because of the swelling in left ankle, Howard cannot have surgery until it dissipates. As a result, the Phillies do not know when the slugger will be ready for the season. Typically, a ruptured Achilles takes six months of recovery time. Considering the skills and training needed to play baseball, Howard could miss between six-to-nine months from the time of surgery."

Howard injures achilles in Phillies loss

October 8

CSN Philly

"In the end, only painful images remained: The St. Louis Cardinals dancing in triumph on the Citizens Bank Park infield. Ryan Howard collapsing to the ground and writhing in pain. Roy Halladay sitting in the funeral-parlor clubhouse staring blankly into his locker. And perhaps the most painful off all: Long after the stadium had emptied, and after most of the players had dressed and left the clubhouse, Shane Victorino reached into his locker and pulled out a sheet of World Series tickets marked for games in Philadelphia. He looked at them wistfully then tore them in pieces and dropped them into the trash bin as he headed for the door and another cold winter. This is all happened Friday"

Struggling Howard knows he's struggling

October 7

Courier-Post

"The ball sailed into the second deck in the right-field stands, and Citizens Bank Park erupted with joy. Ryan Howard's three-run homer won Game 1 for the Phillies and highlighted a stout offensive performance. It seems like ages ago. Howard started the National League Division Series with a bang, but the past three games have yielded little more than a whimper. Since his three-run homer in Game 1, Howard is just 1-for-13 with six strikeouts. His three whiffs Wednesday marked the 10th time he's struck out at least three times in a postseason game, by far the most in history. At this point, even Howard admits he's a bit lost at the plate. "I feel like I've been jumping out, trying to get"

Cards' Freese, mentor Howard swap places

October 6

CSN Philly

"There was a point in David Freese's high school years that he had enough of baseball and quit the team at Lafayette High School in Wildwood, Mo. But unbeknownst to Freese, his coach asked a former Lafayette High baseball player to hook up with him at the school for some batting practice. That's how Ryan Howard saved David Freese's baseball career. "One moment we had together was when I decided to quit baseball in high school, [coach Darren Spink] had Ryan come talk to me," Freese said. "We went to hit together at Lafayette and he set it up so that Ryan would talk to me and it ended up being about a half-hour conversation.""

Howard's homer answers critics

October 2

CSN Philly

"Ryan Howard swung at ball four. Kyle Lohse was struggling and there were two runners on base and Howard poked his bat out at a pitch that was down and away. Howard fouled that ball off, depositing it into the seats behind the Cardinals dugout. He did not advance to first base. He did not load the bases. It was the sixth inning and the reaction to that swing wasn't overly positive at the time, not on Twitter and not in the press box and maybe not on couches across the area, either. Howard did, however, keep the at-bat going. Did he ever."

Howard to have cortisone shot Monday

September 19

CSN Philly

"Charlie Manuel had most of his starters in the lineup for Sunday night's game except for one noticeable absence… The Big Piece. Because he's played most of September with a injured ankle, slugger Ryan Howard will likely have a cortisone shot on Monday. According to Manuel, the shot should clear out much of the inflammation. "He'll probably miss two or three games," Manuel said. "That should help him some for the rest of the season." Manuel pointed out that some days Howard's injury is more noticeable than others when he's on the field. However, there is no mistaking that the injured left ankle has caused Howard some distress at the plate. Since the first time he was out of the lineup"

Ryan Howard to rest until Thursday

September 19

Courier-Post

"First baseman Ryan Howard was not in the Phillies' starting lineup Sunday and likely won't be again until Thursday. Howard, the National League RBI co-leader, is expected to have a cortisone shot in his left foot today, he said before Sunday night's game against the St. Louis Cardinals at Citizens Bank Park. His limp noticeable, Howard has been bothered by bursitis that has relegated him to an off-the-bench role in several recent games. "It's got to calm down," Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro said. "It's starting to bother him." Amaro added that one injection is expected to be enough, and the injury isn't the type that normally requires postseason surgery."

Halladay, Howard lead Phils to fifth straight win

September 10

CSN Philly

"Chase Utley is home recovering from a concussion. Jimmy Rollins hasn't played in nearly three weeks because of a groin strain. Ryan Howard is playing on a painful ankle and Placido Polanco is only a few weeks back from a trip to the disabled list for a sports hernia. The Phillies can't afford to lose another infielder, but that's what almost happened in the middle of the sixth inning Friday night when Pete Orr, filling in for Utley at second base, was nearly run over by a speeding bratwurst in Milwaukee's famous Sausage Race. Orr was hurrying out of the dugout and on his way to his position for the bottom of the sixth when he was nearly pancaked by the Italian sausage. Death by chocolate"

Ailing Howard eyes typical strong finish for Phillies

September 7

CSN Philly

"Ryan Howard walked gingerly across the Phillies' clubhouse, had short chat with Jimmy Rollins before continuing his tender-footed walk to his car. Howard has bursitis in his Achilles tendon, which is the reason for the Fred Sanford-styled stroll, but when he has to move, he can. Take, for instance, the way Howard tracked down a drifting foul ball hit by Alex Gonzalez with one out in the fifth inning of Monday night's game against the Braves at the Bank. On that one Howard turned his back to the infield, sprinted to a spot near the front row of seats in short right field and then slid into the clay dirt warning track as if he were sliding into second base. Instead of a routine slide, Howard"

Howard Downplays Hand Injury

August 18

Courier-Post

columnist David Hale

"Ryan Howard isn't quite sure what happened to his right hand, but as Wednesday's game wore on, he knew something wasn't right. Howard shook his hand after a sixth-inning at-bat, then chatted with team trainers in the late innings, but never left the game, even delivering an eighth-inning single, but he said the soreness in his hand never dissipated. "It was definitely there in my last at-bat, but I was just trying to keep playing," he said. Howard said he thinks he hurt it on a swing when he was jammed inside, but beyond that he offered little insight into the severity of the injury."

Pence factor makes difference for Howard

August 6

Courier-Post

"No player in baseball has seen fewer fastballs during the past four seasons than Ryan Howard. Only the Brewers' Prince Fielder and Marlins' Mike Stanton have seen fewer balls thrown in the strike zone. Howard's job is to be a run producer, but the opposition rarely gives him anything to hit. Until, of course, Hunter Pence joined the lineup. "HP is getting it done," Howard said. "If they want to keep throwing me fastballs, I'm not going to be mad at them." With Pence batting fifth, Howard is seeing more fastballs out of the cleanup spot. But the added protection from Pence's bat isn't exactly rewriting the book on how the opposition pitches Howard. Before Pence arrived,"

Kendrick, Howard lead Phillies to shutout victory

August 3

CSN Philly

columnist: Jim Salisbury

"On a major league baseball roster, the pitching staff is the team within a team. The Phillies have one of the best pitching staffs in the game thanks to Roy Halladay, Cole Hamels, Cliff Lee, Antonio Bastardo and Ryan Madson. But successful teams – even teams within teams – must have solid role players. The Phillies' pitching staff has one in Kyle Kendrick, who has delivered a series of creditable performances this season as a starter and a reliever. "He's done everything he's been asked and he's never complained," Ryan Howard said. Kendrick might have made his final start of the season Tuesday night. If he did, he exited the rotation in style, holding the Colorado Rockies to four hits over"

Howard going opposite field is a good sign for Phils

July 25

CSN Philly

"When Ryan Howard is hitting the ball to the opposite field the Phillies offense scores runs. And lots of them. In his last two games, Howard has three hits in six at-bats. Each of those hits, including Saturday's solo home run, have gone to the left side of the field. The Phillies have scored 13 runs in those two games. It's not necessarily a direct correlation between the Phillies offense scoring runs and Howard going to the opposite field, but when the first baseman is driving the ball to the left side, it means he's seeing the ball better and thus able to be more productive at the plate. "That's a great sign," Howard said following the Phillies' 5-3 win over the Padres Sunday afternoon."

Manuel gives Howard a break, but not for long

July 24

Wilmington News Journal

"The statistics made it an obvious choice for Phillies manager Charlie Manuel. Ryan Howard was 2-for-25 since the All-Star break. He was 0-for-8 with eight strikeouts and a walk against Padres starter Mat Latos. So Howard wasn't in the starting lineup Saturday for just the second time this season. John Mayberry Jr., who hasn't started at first base since he was at Stanford University, replaced him. Before the game, Manuel said he wanted Howard to work in the batting cage. It paid off. Howard pinch hit for Mayberry in the seventh inning, and hit the first pitch from Chad Qualls over the fence in left-center to tie the game at 4. It was the sixth pinch-hit homer of his career. "I was just"

Howard comes off bench to help Phillies top Padres

July 24

CSN Philly

"Ryan Howard had been swinging too fast during a 2-for-25 skid, so he started Saturday's game against San Diego on Charlie Manuel's bench. "Not giving myself a chance to see the ball," Howard said. Yet, after the Phillies saw a 3-0 lead turn into a 4-3 deficit and in Saturday's heat, here was their manager, suddenly in an awful hurry to get his once-and-future RBI behemoth to the plate. Told to grab a bat, Howard first thought he would hit for the second man in the Phillies' seventh, pitcher Michael Stutes. "Told me I was going to be on deck, then next thing I was hitting for [John] Mayberry," Howard said. In Manuel's army, too, they are told to hurry up and wait. The manager"

Howard, Phillies rally in 9th to take down Blue Jays

July 2

CSN Philly

"The ball came off Jose Bautista's bat with a thunderclap and the huge Canada Day crowd rose to its feet to celebrate as the Toronto Blue Jays took a one-run lead on the Phillies in the bottom of the seventh inning Friday afternoon. Every set of eyes in Rogers Centre was trained on Bautista as he rounded the bases after his 25th home run. Well, almost every set of eyes. As Bautista circled the bases, Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard stood as still as an icicle near his position. He stared off into the distance in a state of stunned disbelief. The lead that the Phillies had forged in the top of the inning was gone faster than you can say, "Yo, Kyle, what are you thinking challenging that"

Howard excited only about the victories

June 16

Allentown Morning Call

"Ryan Howard is swinging the bat well right now. Against lefties. Righties. It hasn't mattered. Even some of his outs have been smacked. The same is true for some of his teammates. But the Phillies first baseman is not getting excited about the club's recent offensive output. He's not relieved to see the club score runs in bunches. All he's focused on, he said, is the victories the team has racked up en route to the majors' best record (42-26 before Wednesday night's game). "We're going out there and winning games," he said Wednesday. "I don't know what our potential is besides that. "Everybody else thinks we're supposed to be scoring 20 runs a game. Sorry to inform you. It doesn't work"

Howard pounds Cubs' lefties as Phils prevail

June 13

Courier-Post

"In many ways, the Phillies' success offensively comes down to whether Ryan Howard can hit against left-handed pitchers. He knows he's going to face them at every opportunity, especially in a close game. And he knows he's going to see their off-speed pitches almost exclusively. "I haven't seen a lot of fastballs over the last two years," Howard said. He didn't see any in the seventh inning against Cubs' lefty specialist Sean Marshall. Instead, he saw a diet of sliders. On the fourth, Howard lined a single to center field, scoring the tying and go-ahead runs in the Phillies' 4-3 win over the Cubs on Sunday. Howard was 3-for-3 with three RBIs as the Phillies (40-26) took three of four from"

Howard's hit powers Phils

May 29

Courier-Post

"For weeks, everything about Ryan Howard's time at the plate has been counterintuitive. He sees fewer fastballs than nearly any hitter in the league, but he's gotten a heavy dose of them early in the count. When he's gotten ahead 2-0 or 3-1, he's looked for the fastball but gotten a barrage of off-speed junk. If there's a book on pitching to a slugger, Howard's been forced to read it backward. "I think they show him fastballs, especially in off the plate," Charlie Manuel said. "Then they feed him a lot of slow stuff, sliders and curves, change-ups." It's been a difficult adjustment for Howard, who had just three RBIs in his last 14 games entering Saturday's game against the Mets. Against"

Howard is carrying the Phillies offense like no batter in the majors

May 15

LehighValleyLive.com

"Has anyone noticed what Ryan Howard has been doing lately? No, not striking out at his typically alarming rate, smart alec. On a Philadelphia Phillies team bemoaning its shortage of offense, Howard led Major League Baseball with 35 runs batted in through Saturday. It's just another monster year for the 31-year-old first baseman, who year-to-year has been one of the most consistent offensive forces in the game since he became a full-time player in 2006. Yet there remains a significant portion of Phillies fans who -- admit it -- don't think the big guy does enough. In context, however, his raw numbers aren't just impressive, they're striking. This year, with No. 3 hitter Chase Utley"

Fredi G. on Ryan Howard: "Really dangerous"

May 14

Atlanta Journal-Constitution

"When Phillies slugger Ryan Howard homered off Braves phenom Julio Teheran last Saturday in Teheran's major league debut, it was a welcome-to-the-bigs moment from a guy who has supplied plenty of them. Teheran joined a lengthy list of Braves pitchers young and old who've been taken deep by Howard, who has hit more homers against the Braves than any team. Howard had a .313 career average with 35 homers and 100 RBIs in 108 games against the Braves before Friday's series opener, with a .395 on-base percentage and .644 slugging percentage (1.039 OPS). There was a time when it seemed former Braves manager Bobby Cox rarely had his pitchers intentionally walk Howard, who punished quite a few of"

Howard's double lifts Phils in 11th

April 24

Philly.com

"The 11th inning at Petco Park on Saturday night brought this sight: Ryan Howard standing in the on-deck circle watching the San Diego Padres intentionally walk Jimmy Rollins. Yes, the opposition was intentionally walking someone to face Ryan Howard. Usually it's the other way around. But Howard, the $125 million slugger wearing a golden sombrero for the second time in three nights here, apparently was not as imposing as Rollins. Padres manager Bud Black had lefthander Cory Luebke ready to face Howard and pounced on the chance. That backfired. Howard hit a two-run, opposite-field double off the wall, just past the glove of Ryan Ludwick, to put the Phillies ahead. Their fourth consecutive"

X-Ray on Howard's wrist negative

April 14

Philly.com

"Ryan Howard had his right wrist wrapped following the Phillies' 3-2 victory over the Nationals. He also had an X-Ray performed that returned negative, according to a team official, after he was plunked on the wrist by Washington lefthander John Lannan. His status for Thursday's series finale is unknown. Howard was hit in the fifth and it forced in a run as the Phillies took a 3-0 lead. It turned out to be a huge run once Roy Halladay allowed two in the ninth."

Howard has a new stance on hitting

April 6

Philly.com

"Ryan Howard has the type of power that can produce oohs and aahs even on a batted ball that lands in foul territory. In the first inning of last night's game against the Mets, the slugger unleashed a tape-measure shot that landed in the third deck in rightfield, albeit to the right of the foul pole. Although Howard ended up striking out, the Phillies are hopeful some slight changes he has made in his setup at the plate will put him in position to make better use of his prodigious power. The 31-year-old first baseman was hesitant to discuss the changes after the Phillies' three-game sweep of the Astros this weekend, a series in which Howard went 7-for-13 with a home run, a double and six"

Howard's 3-0 swings lead Phillies to sweep of Astros

April 4

Philly.com

"After every home game, Charlie Manuel begins his postgame news conference with a dramatic reading of the box score. It's the only way he knows how to start; no prepared statement will be as effective as the numbers themselves, the manager reasons. For 41 seconds Sunday, Manuel rattled off everything that had gone right in the Phillies' 7-3 win over Houston. In order of appearance: Roy Oswalt, Ryan Howard, Ben Francisco, Jimmy Rollins, Placido Polanco. "We've played very consistent," Manuel said. "Steady. We made some mistakes. But at the same time, our pitching definitely held them down. We caught the ball good enough. We definitely had a good offensive series." How's that for starters?"

Phillies' batting order: TBA, Howard, TBA

March 30

Philly.com

columnist Rich Hofmann

"THE THIRD HITTER, Chase Utley, took ground balls yesterday without the benefit of a lawn chair, but he and his bum knee are still on the disabled list to start the season. The fifth hitter, Jayson Werth, went 0-for-2 with a walk yesterday in his final exhibition appearance, but he is still playing for the Washington Nationals. Between them, the fourth hitter remains. All around Ryan Howard, the space is defined by change. We are 2 days before the season opener and Phillies manager Charlie Manuel still will not say out loud the names of the people he intends to hit in front of and behind Howard in the lineup. Maybe today. Some combination of Raul Ibanez, Ben Francisco and/or Placido Polanco"

Ryan set to carry big load

March 20

Courier-Post

"His nickname is "The Big Piece," a moniker Ryan Howard earned through years of immense production in the middle of the Phillies' lineup. But while Howard has always been the biggest slugger among a bevy of heavy hitters, things could be a bit different this year. He's still the centerpiece, but with Jayson Werth gone and Chase Utley out indefinitely, Howard may be the only piece when it comes to serious run producers in the middle of the order. And so the question has been posed, just how will Howard handle the lack of protection in the lineup? "Teams are going to throw how they're going to throw," Howard said. "It's up to me to get the pitch, hit it, and hit it hard." Howard's simplistic"

Uncertainty in lineup means Howard will have to carry team

March 16

Philly.com

"Unless the National League plans on changing its rules in the next two weeks to allow a designated runner and fielder for Chase Utley, the top five in the batting order that Phillies manager Charlie Manuel sent out for Tuesday's exhibition game against the Toronto Blue Jays could bear a strong resemblance to the five guys he uses in the April 1 season opener against the Houston Astros. Provided, that is, the Phillies' injury du jour - a hyperextended left elbow that forced third baseman Placido Polanco out of the game in the second inning - is not more serious than the initial report from the team. Assuming Polanco is ready for the opener, then you're looking at shortstop Jimmy Rollins"

Howard's swing progresses

March 5

Courier-Post

"When Ryan Howard first arrived at spring training last month, he joked that he was "still negotiating" with manager Charlie Manuel about what his approach at the plate should be this season. Manuel wants Howard to stand closer to the plate to improve his balance on balls outside. Howard feels more comfortable away from the plate. Manuel wants Howard to pull the ball more. Howard likes hitting homers to the opposite field. But after the Phillies' slugging first baseman hit his first homer of the spring -- yes, an opposite-field shot in the sixth inning of a 7-4 win Friday over Pittsburgh -- he said his approach is less about negotiating and more about progressing. "I've been looking at this"

Phillies' Howard working on moving closer to the plate

February 19

Philly.com

"Among the few certainties in life: On April 15, the tax man will come calling, and 2 months beforehand, folks will talk about Ryan Howard moving closer to the plate. As the slugging first baseman walked into the clubhouse after the latest edition of stance-related questions, he smiled and said, "Nobody was telling me to move closer to the plate when I was hitting 58 home runs." There is some element of truth to that. But after a year in which Howard hit "only" 31 home runs and posted a career-low .505 slugging percentage, manager Charlie Manuel has renewed his longtime quest to move his slugger closer to the strike zone. And despite Howard's joke about the matter - and a severe ankle"

Manuel to Howard on the slugger's hitting woes: Try standing closer to the plate

February 19

Philly.com

"Seated at the head of the table in the conference room, Charlie Manuel began lecturing. The Phillies manager will talk hitting until the day he dies, but there are some moments when he is especially determined to teach. And on this day, his topic was Ryan Howard. "First time I ever saw Howard hit," Manuel said, "I used to say about him, get close to the plate." There will be plenty of theories this spring about Howard, the 31-year-old slugger who has yet to even begin his five-year, $125-million extension and is coming off his worst season in the majors. But Manuel is convinced he has the answer to preventing Howard from declining as many players with his skill set are apt to do as they"

Howard puts fateful K behind him

February 19

Courier-Post

"Ryan Howard hasn't watched a replay of the fateful called strike that ended the Phillies' 2010 season in Game 6 of the National League Championship Series and sent the Giants sprinting to the pitching mound to swarm closer Brian Wilson. Howard lived the moment. He doesn't need to see it again. "I don't really care to see because you can't go back and change it," he said. "I'm focused on this year." But just because Howard hasn't relived the experience doesn't mean it's been forgotten. In fact, the pain and disappointment lingered far longer than he expected."

Howard for Pujols would be no-brainer

February 17

Courier-Post

columnist Kevin Callahan

"Maybe you saw the Albert Pujols graphic on ESPN, too. If so, you surely would see the wisdom for the Phillies to trade for the St. Louis Cardinals' superstar. The other two names on the graphic with Pujols were Lou Gehrig and Babe Ruth. With those two names, that's all you need to know. The graphic doesn't need to be explained. Pujols is in such stratospheric company in his career that he is already listed with Gehrig and Ruth. You know the list isn't for eating hot dogs, either. So, without even knowing what the statistics are to warrant an ESPN graphic, you should be prepared to say goodbye to Ryan Howard faster than a called third strike for the last out in the National League"

Would a blockbuster Pujols deal work?

February 16

Foxsports.com

"WARNING: What you are about to read is pure speculation. It has not, to my knowledge, been discussed at any level. In fact, it is not even my idea. Harold Reynolds mentioned the possibility Monday on MLB Network. My colleague, Jon Paul Morosi, informed me of it later that night. I then stole the idea from Morosi as if I were Lindsay Lohan in a jewelry store. Albert Pujols for Mark Teixeira. And, if that doesn't work, Pujols for Ryan Howard. Think it's nuts? Think again. Pujols for Teixeira is a way out for the Cardinals, who are running out of time in their quest to meet Pujols' deadline for a new contract by the start of spring training. Teixeira for Pujols also is a way out for the"

Howard moving past lingering left ankle injury

January 13

MLB.com

"Ryan Howard has developed such a fine reputation as a power hitter that when he hit 31 home runs last season, everybody wondered what happened. Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. and manager Charlie Manuel offered clues in the offseason. Both said Howard's left ankle, which he badly sprained Aug. 1 in Washington, bothered him much more than he let on. It cost Howard three weeks on the disabled list and maybe sapped some of his power the remainder of the season. "Whether it bothered me or affected me, it's last year," said Howard, who still finished eighth in the National League in homers. "Now it's a lot better.""

We were hoping for a better explanation from Ryan Howard

October 25

Philadelphia Daily News

columnist Sam Donnellon

"Oh, somewhere in this favored land the sun is shining bright, The band is playing somewhere, and somewhere hearts are light, And somewhere men are laughing, and little children shout; But there is no joy in Mudville - mighty Casey has struck out. CASEY TOOK his first two borderline strikes, swung at the third. The sadness in Mudville could be muted over time by that, by the thought their slugger had taken his shot and just plain whiffed. It will be different here this winter. The way Ryan Howard went down at the end, standing, bat on shoulder, giving his best "not my style" look to plate umpire Tom Hallion after taking a 3-2 pitch for a season-ending strike three? Standing amid media an"

Howard should sit in Game 6 for the good of the Phillies

October 23

Philadelphia Daily News

columnist Bill Conlin

"I NEVER THOUGHT I would write these words: Ryan Howard should be accorded the same best-for-the-team logic that impelled Phillies manager Charlie Manuel to bench slumping leftfielder Raul Ibanez in Game 4 of the National League Championship Series against nasty lefthander Madison Bumgarner. His replacement, Ben Francisco started the four-run bat-around that gave the Phillies a 4-2 lead and false hope. Now, the Big Piece's game is in tatters. In eight postseason games, baseball's most prolific cleanup hitter since he was the 2005 NL Rookie of the Year, has produced zero RBI. And he has been a liability on defense. The same slow-to-heal-completely left ankle sprain that caused him to miss"

For Phils to win, Utley and Howard need to step up

October 23

Philly.com

"In order for the Phillies to do what no National League team has done since the 1944 St. Louis Cardinals, they need to do two things they have never done before. One is to force the first Game 7 in franchise history Saturday night when they play the San Francisco Giants in Game 6 of the National League Championship Series. The other, of course, is to win Game 7, which would make them the fourth National League team in history to rally from a three-games-to-one deficit and the first NL team since those '44 Cards to play in three straight World Series. With the series back at Citizens Bank Park, Chase Utley and Ryan Howard need to step up their games immediately. After watching the Phillies"

Howard takes Bonds' advice, swings with it

October 17

Philly.com

"During the off-season, Ryan Howard participated in some workouts with former Giants slugger Barry Bonds. They met for lunch in August when the Phillies traveled to Los Angeles. They have become friends. The two kept in touch occasionally as the season progressed. So, naturally, with the Phillies taking on Bonds' former team, it was time for another chat, right? "No, not yet," Howard said Friday. "I may give him a call and see what's going on - talk some trash, maybe." In all seriousness, Howard said he appreciated his time with Bonds, baseball's all-time home-run leader. "He was great at getting the point across," Howard said. "I understood everything he was saying.""

The Phils' hand of aces: Three kings of the hill

October 6

Philly.com

"It was a fascinating time and fitting place for the Phillies to finish the 2010 regular season. Turner Field, home of the Braves, has a line of wooden banners in left field that represent the various titles Atlanta has won, including a string of 14 straight from 1991 through 2005. The majority of that unprecedented success came courtesy of the Braves' terrific pitching trio of Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, and John Smoltz, and those three future Hall of Famers were in attendance Saturday when Atlanta honored Bobby Cox, the retiring manager who ran the Braves' dugout during their era of National League dominance. Watching from the visiting dugout was the Phillies' own trio of pitching stars who"

Ryan Howard, Mr. September

September 11

Philly.com

columnist Ray Parrillo

"Ryan Howard either can't explain it or would prefer not to even try. After all, superstition is in just about every baseball player's DNA, so why invite a jinx?But for whatever reason - sharper focus, pennant-race adrenaline - September has been Howard's most productive month since he took root as the Phillies' full-time cleanup hitter in 2006.He's at it again.Howard hit an impressive bases-empty home run to tie Friday's game against the Mets at Citi Field, 3-3. It was his fifth homer in 10 games this month and third in three games. It was impressive because it was a low line drive that threatened to wipe out the first couple rows just beyond the left-field wall of the spacious ballpark."

Howard lifts Phils to victory

September 9

Courier-Post

"It was the conclusion of a grueling span of 24 games in 23 days, including a trip to the West coast, a one-day affair in Colorado and a doubleheader earlier this week. At this point, Ryan Howard said, he doesn't even know what day of the week it is. But make no mistake, the Phillies slugger knows exactly what time of year it is. "Every game it seems like it matters more now than ever," Howard said. "It's September, so you've got to be geared up and ready to go." Howard drove in six runs in 10-6 thumping of Florida to wrap up their longest continuous stretch of games this season and potentially ignite yet another monster finish for the Phillies' first baseman. There's something about"

Howard leads Phillies' offensive charge

September 9

Philadelphia Daily News

"PICK AN adjective, any adjective. Bruised. Battered. Weary. Worn. All of the above were supposed to describe the Phillies on this glorious day of rest. Three weeks ago, when they embarked on a supposedly brutal stretch of 24 games in 23 days, you might have envisioned them limping into their off day today with their muscles stretched and their endurance taxed. And that still might be the case. But you wouldn't have known it last night. No, the Phillies team that battered lefty starter Andrew Miller and his Marlins teammates in a 10-6 win at Citizens Bank Park looked so fresh they might have been Italian Market produce. "You get to this point in the year, it's like everything just blends"