The Big Man Struggles, People Notice
Ryan Howard is having a terrible April. He knows it. Fans know it, too.
The Big Man Struggles, People Notice
Todd Zolecki
There is more to this puzzle than just Ryan Howard.
The Phillies haven't had Jimmy Rollins in their starting lineup since April 8. They haven't had Shane Victorino in their lineup since April 12. Pedro Feliz is hitting .203. Carlos Ruiz is hitting .213. Geoff Jenkins is hitting .228. The Phillies also entered yesterday's 4-2 loss to the New York Mets at Citizens Bank Park ranked 10th in the league in hitting with runners in scoring position at .245.
But Howard is the former NL MVP.
If he's not hitting, people notice.
I'm not sure if Howard is just a slow starter or not. He's certainly starting slow this season. He started slow last season, but his strained left quadriceps played a role in that. He actually hit .306 with five homers and 12 RBIs in April 2006, so I guess we can't say he's a historical slow starter. But it seems inevitable that he will start to hit. The Phillies hope it's sooner than later because they're wasting plenty of good pitching performances and you have to wonder how long that will last?
*
In the Phillies Notebook, Davey Lopes is back. Rollins is not.
*
Look who seems to be fulfilling his potential: Gavin Floyd.
Also check out Salisbury's Extra Bases.
So truth, your basically saying that he is tanking it until he is ready to actually play???? Your crazy bro!! He got his ten million, what HE was asking for, so why would he be upset? I could possibly see him being upset if he got the 7 mil. the Phils offered, but even then I seriously doubt he would tank it on purpose. He is an athlete, he is getting embarassed out there, I really dont think he would look this bad on purpose truth, get real man!!— Clinton, NJ- Truth you aint right in the head! I hope my previous post goes through, it'll explain lol— Clinton, NJ
- He's not tanking on purpose Clinton, His head is just not in it. He's been disrespected time and time again. He's a human.— Truth
- He's a child. This is a business. He needs to grow up.— John in LA
- Disrespected ? Is that what used to happen, when players made 5,000 per year, with no free agency ? They played for the love of the game. Were they human ?— pat h
- When the players made 5,000.00 per year, there were no T.V. deals worth billions, no luxury boxes, no free stadiums, no 100.00 tickets for avg seats etc. Apples and oranges sport.— Truth
- Do we get a rebate then for his lack of production now because "he wouldn't get his head into the game until Mid-May". You must be a real hoot at performance review time where you work.— jimmymack
- Who is "we" JimmyMack? Just b/c you toe the mgmt line doesn't mean you're mgmt or ownership. YOU will pay to see this product no matter what, thats why YOUR a fan. Thats why the Phillies sell YOU manure and lie to YOU and YOU think YOU"RE smelling roses. RE: J-Roll.— Truth
- Is Truth aware he is the blog pinata?— John in LA
- No, I won't pay no matter what, I cancelled my season tickets after the first year of CBP because I thought Wade was a joke and ownership also for not firing him. So I voted with my wallet, as did many others, attendance fell and they finally got it. I have since renewed. But I also think that Howard didn't deserve 10 million, so if that classifies me as toeing the mgt. line, so be it. Your blind faith in everything Ryan is ignoring the obvious. He was treated fairly, for the 100th time, by the rules HIS union agreed to. He got his money, I as a fan want to see a return on the investment. He wants out, too bad, shut up and play (at least until 2011).— jimmymack
- jimmymack......When are we going to meet up at a game? LOL!— Norma
- Johnny Callison told me a story a while back, he went into GM's office. John Quinn was the GM at the time. He asked for a 2,000 dollar raise, that would bring his salary up to 12,000 per. Quinn told him he didn't care about his stats. They hadn't won anything to deserve a raise. Disrespected ?— pat h
- Ouch!— Norma
